Metroid: Equis
by flammenwerfer14
Summary: A meteor, resistant to magical manipulation, crashes in Equestria; soon spreading an unknown poison throughout the land. Containment is all but failing and the Princesses have little power to stop the spread of the Great Poison. The Elements of Harmony are of little use as they know not of this threat that consumes all life. Help comes from a certain Hunter, clad in metal.
1. ImpactArrival

"_A Great Poison burst forth into the land, clawing at life with such violence that we were ripped from our peaceful state and find ourselves wandering as shadows of the mortal forms we left behind, searching for why we are here."_

_-Chozo Lore_

* * *

_**Metroid: Equis**_

**Chapter 1**

**Impact/Arrival**

The Night. Feared and daunting, yet comforting and revered. It provides a sense of tranquility like no other when being experienced in its natural glory. Of course, a certain Lunar Princess would ensure that said natural glory would never wane, no matter where any of her subjects might be in the nation of Equestria. Each and every night, come her time to reign over the land, she personally customized the sky to a piece of brilliance and magnificence, one to be admired and drop the jaws of ponies around the nation each time they happened to gaze up into the eternal heavens… Her gift to them, one she knew they could truly appreciate from her. If there was one thing that ponies admired, it was the effort put into one's work… it rarely went unnoticed. After her banishment, it took some scouting around to see that this was indeed the truth of the matter… her subjects cared for her as much as Celestia. Princess Luna had more than made up for her past mistakes, and with their Princess of the Night back in control alongside Celestia, Equestria was prosperous once more.

So, like every night, Luna sat on a special cushion which rested on her chamber balcony. From this comfortable position, she happily gazed up to the sky at her handiwork… yet she was not even done! She had raised the moon not one hour ago and the sky was absolutely spectacular!

_Let us brighten those stars over there… they shall add an exquisite effect to the mountain range overlooking Canterlot Fields. _

The Lunar Alicorn did just that, her horn lightly flaring in her teal aura. The stars proceeded to brighten gradually until their light added the picturesque effect to the distant mountains that she so desired. Satisfied with her work, she grinned and moved on to another portion of her cosmic quilt. Luna was struck with an interesting idea and she smirked to herself.

_There appears to be much activity in Ponyville tonight… perhaps an extra 'attraction' is in order?_

With a brighter flare of her magic, Luna brought a small meteor shower over the Canterlot/Ponyville area; sending a few dozen stray meteors blazing past in a glorious display of light. Many wishes would be had tonight, that she was certain, as well as a few interesting dreams. Luna could practically sense the 'wows' from the small, few minute display, and she chuckled at that thought.

_What else may I have the privilege of modifying in the sky tonight?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the opening and closing of her chamber doors followed by hoofsteps.

"Enjoying yourself, Lulu?" the Princess of the Sun asked with a small sense of smugness, knowing that Luna indeed enjoyed 'splurging' on the night sky whenever she was able. The Night Alicorn looked back and returned the smug but loving gaze.

"A bit much if I may be so blatantly honest," she replied, dimming a particular star and bringing out another constellation. Celestia couldn't help but look up and admire the work that her sister undoubtedly put into the sky… as always. It brightened her demeanor that much to know that Luna was finally happy with herself. Two happy Princesses ensured a stable Equestria, after all.

"Hmm… that star looks a bit bright, don't you think?" Celestia asked. Luna turned her attention towards where her sister was looking.

"Huh? I do not recall brightening that star. Allow me to rectify that immediately."

Luna brought her magic to life… but the star refused to oblige. This surprised her greatly and Celestia raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"That is… not possible…"

"Losing your touch, Luna?" Celestia asked, not resisting the chance to poke a bit of fun at her little sister. Luna colored a bit immediately, feeling the embarrassment of not having control of a simple star.

"N-No! I shall attempt once more!" she said hurriedly. Her horn lit up in her magical aura and her face shown great determination and resolve… yet the star refused to cooperate with her will. She released her 'hold,' panting and out of breath.

"How… How is this feasible?"

Celestia only furrowed her gaze and realized that the 'star' was getting… brighter.

"I'm not entirely sure that that is a star you're trying to move, Luna…"

Upon further investigation the object appeared to get even brighter as it began moving… it grew a trail and started its trek in the sky.

"That's… a meteor?" Luna asked, doubting herself and attempting to explain this uncontrollable celestial phenomenon. Celestia nodded in understanding.

"Indeed it is, and it appears it's on a collision course with the Frozen North. The cities in the area, as well as the Crystal Empire will have a bit of an extra show. Judging from this position, it does not appear to be of enormous size. Meteor strikes are uncommon, but not unheard of. Oh well," Celestia reasoned.

"But… I have no power over this object!" Luna said worriedly, witnessing the object get larger and pass over them towards the predicted destination. She noted its blue-ish hue.

"As you know, the stars and other celestial objects have their own magic. It is not unheard of for an object to be powerful enough to resist manipulation due to some oddity in the magical universe. I wouldn't worry too much. Reaching out, I can sense that it's not on any direct collision course with a city or residential area."

Luna's and Celestia's gaze followed the object as it streaked across the sky, becoming somewhat more visible, and witnessed its impact behind the mountain ranges in the distance which separated various regions of Equestria.

"I suppose you're right, sister. Very well. Get some rest, for I shall watch over the night as always," Luna commented. Celestia smiled softly and nuzzled her.

"I suppose that's in order. Thank you, Luna. Have a goodnight, and I love you!" she called out as she exited Luna's chambers.

"And likewise, I love you. Your dreams shall be pleasant tonight!" Luna called back. After her chamber doors were sealed once more, she turned her attention towards the general compass-direction of the impact. Since no emergency scrolls had been forwarded to either of the regal sisters, which would be a case of an extreme emergency, Luna shrugged and passed off the odd experience, taking off from her balcony and into the night.

And yet, some miniscule and residual thoughts plagued the back of her mind.

[hr]

Space. Cold and silent; full, yet barren. It was particularly easy to go insane from lack of contact in the eternal void of nigh blackness. Yet nonetheless, it provided an odd sense of peace for the sole occupant of the Hunter Class gunship. Samus Aran sat back and reclined lazily in her chair… thinking. She was out of her Varia Suit, not that it really mattered since having an 'exoskeleton,' for lack of better words for almost her entire life ensured that she was more than used to the extension of herself.

Nevertheless, there she lay back, clad in only her blue and black skin-tight Zero Suit; letting her flowing blonde hair lay limp and untamed, not in its usual ponytail fashion. Her blue eyes bore the thousand-yard stare, showing clearly that she was troubled. She punctuated this with an audible sigh. The Galactic Federation had asked her to stand by after the Aether Incident, so as she waited for further transmission, all she could do is really… think.

_Aether… I'm glad it's over…_

As a soldier through and through who worked for the Federation proper as well as currently being a Bounty Hunter (ironically being hired by the Federation, so still working for them), Samus had seen more than her fair share of… forgive the use of crass language but, 'weird shit.' It only seemed as if every mission became progressively worse and worse. From her return to Zebes to destroy the Metroids, to Tallon IV, and then to Aether, it had all taken its toll on the still young and beautiful girl.

_Aether takes the cake… and yet I can feel it's not over. Another change of scenery will trump it as usual. _

Either way, this was her life… her choice and destiny bestowed upon her by the 'Bird People' (and guardians), the Chozo: Protector of the Galaxy. And so she waited… and had been waiting for almost a week, just drifting in space. The Federation had loosely shown that these incidents: Tallon IV, Aether, and whatever else undoubtedly came next, were correlated with a meteor strike… but not just any meteor strike. These meteors, 'infected' with the vile Poison known as _Phazon_, traveled to almost planned planets, traveling great distances by rupturing space-time and creating an artificial wormhole. The Federation was attempting to locate the next one.

Samus groaned to herself and decided to lie down and catch some shut-eye. It had been a long day… whatever the concept of a 'day' was in open space, and she decided it was best to rest up.

But of course, things don't always go as planned, and she had to be disturbed after an hour of uneasy sleep.

"**Incoming Transmission"**

Her computer came to life and notified her that the ship received a message for her. Samus groaned once more in disapproval but voiced her command anyway:

"Display on the central monitor… ugh" she replied out loud, sitting up and rubbing her eyes from what little sleep they decided to scrape. Aether had really taken a lot out of her, and she was still feeling the fatigue from the horrors of that damned planet.

_At least the Luminoth are rebuilding with Federation help._

Samus shook her musings out of her head and read the transmission on the screen:

_[Galactic Federation High Command]_

_Artificial slip-space rupture has been detected in the 51__st__ quadrant of Federation Space directly over Planet VK109H, designation: Equis. Meteor impact on planet's surface has been confirmed. Be aware that Equis has not been explored, yet just falls under Federation purview. _

"Just like Tallon IV and Aether. What a surprise there…" she sarcastically thought out loud.

_Land on the planet and establish a foothold. Be vigilant against any Space Pirate attempts to also track and colonize the impact area, as the meteor has been studied and confirmed to be of Phazon composition. If sentient life exists on the planet, render any and all assistance necessary. Full federation resources will be at your call; use your greatest judgment. _

_[End Transmission]_

Samus nodded to herself in acknowledgement and sighed once more. After typing a confirmation back to Command, she set her ship on auto-pilot with coordinates to this planet of Equis.

_Coordinates set. Autopilot engaged… now, some sleep is in order. _

With that, Samus's ship sped off into space towards her intended destination.

[hr]

***One week later***

"Another one?!" Celestia almost shouted in a frantic manner. She stood in the throne room, speaking privately with a government official.

"I'm afraid so, Princess. We've received almost identical reports of the spreading of this… blue-like material that emanated out of the meteor impact site. It's slow but it's prominent, and ponies that have become exposed to it have a wide variety of effects. Some are just sickness due to exposure; others are more… violent," the Chief Medical Officer of the Equestrian Ministry of Health. Celestia furrowed her brow in worry. The unicorn official brushed his white lab coat and adjusted his glasses with his magic.

"Violent?"

"Regrettably so, your Highness. Some ponies have gone insane from the sickness. Others who have had more extensive contact have been virally corrupted by unknown means. In more generous cases, the patients have died from the exposures… others were not so fortunate. What I mean is that many have undergone mutations as a result of the corruption. And all this potentially may happen within seconds after direct contact with the material."

This was very troubling news for the Solar Princess. The casualties from this 'exposure' stood at twenty-three ponies and most likely rising… those were the ones that were 'beyond saving.'

She pursed her lips and sighed once more.

"I understand, Doctor. Is there anything else I should know?"

"Yes, Princess. This… poison is greatly affecting the ecosystem and it's only getting worse!" the CMO exclaimed.

"And you're positive that this directly correlates to the meteor strike?" Celestia asked.

"I have little doubt in my mind, your majesty. Water supplies have been contaminated and we are starting to see large amounts of deaths and mutations in the flora and fauna."

"Is there any way we can contain this?"

"Magic works when transporting the Poison itself or corrupted material and ponies, but it requires an enormous amount of casted magic and it risks exposure to cleanup crews. We simply do not have the material necessary to protect us from this biohazard in order to do an effective containment," he explained.

"Very well, Doctor. Do what you must to help contain or slow down the spread of this Poison. Luna and I have been looking into our magical archives for information regarding this unknown material. Either way, this will not stop unless that meteor is removed. We'll tackle one problem at a time, but for now, go ahead and issue a national emergency and initiate an evacuation of all the towns nearest to the impact site and quarantine certain parts of major cities. I'll inform the Crystal Empire of the danger. Thank you for the information," Celestia said in a defeated manner. The CMO gave a curt bow and exited the throne room.

Celestia was ready to collapse on the spot. It had been a week since the impact of the strange meteor and things had gone to Tartarus. It was a wonder that full blown pandemonium had not broken out yet.

Her thoughts were disturbed when she arrived at the Archives. She found Luna already up and researching… she had not rested much since incidents have been reported. It showed, since recent night skies were rather drab. Celestia found Luna levitating and scanning several books at once, an exhausted and panicked expression etched into her face. Countless other tomes and books lay strewn around her. When Celestia was about to say something, Luna tossed a large tome back over her shoulder in a desperate fashion and simply moved on to the next.

"Luna…"

"I cannot find a single entry!" Luna shouted, tossing the rest of the books and scrolls in random directions before collapsing on her side in defeat. Celestia sat down beside her and nuzzled her in a comforting manner.

"It's alright, Luna… you need to get some rest. You've been at this for days."

"That is where you are wrong, sister. This is not 'alright' even in the least sense of the word. Our subjects are in enormous danger! This _world_ is in enormous danger!" Luna countered, clearly angry with not being able to come up with anything on the subject matter at hand. She was starting to feel a bit… useless. She had bouts of depression and feelings of uselessness ever since her return from banishment.

"I know, Luna. But you mustn't kill yourself over this… for I need you more than ever in this troubling time," Celestia cooed, draping a wing over her sister's prone form.

Luna sighed in contentment within her sister's embrace.

"And I shall be here, for I am going nowhere… even if you banish me once more," she quipped. Celestia winced a bit at the implication but her features softened as fast as they hardened.

"I know, and I'm sure I couldn't keep you away even if I wanted to. Right now though, I require your aid. We need to have an audience with the—wait… what is that?" Celestia cut herself off, motioning out the large glass window which gave a perfect view of the land below the mountain and the Everfree forest.

Luna shifted her body to a sitting position on her rump and turned her head to where Celestia was looking, both of them finding a flying object of some sorts coming from the sky and gingerly going below the Everfree Forest's canopy line… presumably landing.

"I believe something just… landed in the Everfree. Did we schedule any Chariots? Or are there any Guard Training Regiments today for that location?" Luna asked, thinking out loud. Celestia shook her head.

"Not that I'm aware of, but I have a sick feeling that the meteor strike and this object landing in the forest are directly correlated."

"What makes you proclaim that assumption, Sister?" Luna asked, looking up and turning her attention to Celestia.

"Call it a mare's intuition… and thousands of years of experience in _coincidences_… and being a magic adept," she reasoned with a small chuckle. Luna returned the gesture as well.

"Well, if this anomaly is connected with the meteor and consequently this Poison, perhaps we will find some answers?"

Celestia nodded lightly.

"Most likely… yes. But even more, perhaps we may receive help." The Solar Alicorn concluded. Luna only held her gaze on her sister's face, which was staring towards the Forest which was tens of miles in the distance. Celestia then continued:

"I'll send a letter addressed to Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the Elements to be vigilant and to examine _this_ occurrence at earliest convenience. I'd trust no other at this point."

"Very well, and I shall inform the Guard to be on their… well, guard, as well." Luna added, hesitating with her unintentional use of diction which elicited a laugh from Celestia… and her as well. It was definitely needed.

"You do that. And worry not, Lulu, we'll get through this… we'll figure this out," Celestia said, nuzzling her little sister once more.

[hr]

"**Approaching Destination"**

Samus was stirred from her slumber by her ship's computer. She groaned and sat up, taking a look out of the cockpit and confirming that the lush-looking planet of Equis was indeed in sight… in fact taking up the whole window pane. She ran her fingers through her hair once and sat down in the pilot's seat, taking over the controls once more and disengaging the autopilot.

_These planets always look so much more majestic from space… yet always a damn hellhole on the ground. _

She keyed in a few commands on the ship as she braced for penetration into the atmosphere.

_Then again, I'm sure an Omega Pirate would look majestic from space as well. _

Her orange metal-plated ship brilliantly reflected light on the sunny day. As she closed in on the ground, Samus picked a suitable landing point in a very small clearing in an enormous forest. As she approached, she began to note several distinct landmarks, notably the small town that was northward, as well as a large citadel-esque structure embedded in the side of a mountain.

_Sentient and Civilized life on the planet. I'll send a report to the Federation. _

Samus was oddly relieved at the sign of life, but the next question plagued her: what kind of life? She was no stranger to other sentient beings outside of humanity, especially since her line of work found her within the ranks and presence of other creatures that weren't human. What she knew for certain was that this was not a Space Pirate outpost.

Not yet at least.

_I'll explore the surrounding area and determine the best way to reveal my presence to the town… and naturally I'll have to meet with leaders. _

Samus was mentally running over what had to be done in her head in order to quickly contain the spread of Phazon with utmost precision and least amount of lives lost. Her thoughts were jarred when her ship flew below the forest canopy and the under-ship thrusters angled themselves to a single point; stopping the craft just above the ground and holding it in a suspended state. Samus spared a few glances outside of the cockpit, examining the thick lushness of the forest which was undoubtedly teeming with life… some most likely more hostile than docile. The fun part was finding out which was which.

_All part of the job, I suppose. Now, I guess it's time to get dressed for work. _

She gingerly got up from the pilot's seat and walked to the rear of her ship which housed a circular plate on the floor surrounded by other forms of equipment. Standing in the middle of it and after tying up her hair in a ponytail with a red band, she keyed in a few commands on the console, bringing everything to life. Samus spread her legs slightly and held her arms out as a small anti-gravity field suspended her about a foot in the air. Satisfied that everything was running its natural course, she sighed in contentment and closed her eyes, putting her full trust in the mechanics of what was essentially her home.

Two mechanical arms combined orange and yellow armor over her lower body, sealing the two parts together and encasing her long and toned legs in nigh impenetrable armor. Black underlay was added as necessary as the largest armor set was attached to her torso. The golden abdominal armor was of a more flexible material to allow for natural breathing cycles. Next was her breast and back plates, with the former jutting outwards and forming a ridge on account of her bust. Finally, her arms met the same fate as they were encased in their own armor, although her hands donned a more flexible form of the exoskeleton to allow for full use of her digits… also, the forearm of her right appendage was left without any protection, making way for her weapon, the Arm Cannon, to slide over it and connect to her elbow plate. The arm armor was then connected to the entire exoskeleton will two large, spherical shoulder plates, completely flanking her head on either side. At last, the gravity disengaged and Samus was set on her feet with a resounding metal "clink." Her Chozo exoskeleton lit up green on several points: the top of her hands and two slits on the breast plate. The suit was now active.

Samus did a once over of herself to ensure everything was in order. She grinned, satisfied as always, before turning for the last piece of her Varia Suit: her helmet. She carefully picked it up off of one of the residual mechanical arms and secured it over her head with a resounding click and hiss, equalizing the pressure inside of it with the rest of the suit. The full face visor showed green like the other points of interest on her suit, although from the inside, the view was not shrouded with green… as is the point of a 'visor.'

Samus looked over herself once more before giving a curt nod to no one in particular. With a metal clink for each step she took, she made her way to the elevator of her small ship which lead to the only exit: up top. The hatch to the outside world opened (not before ensuring the air breathable and not corrosive) and the floor rose up. She stood now on the top of her ship, drawing a few breaths of filtered, outside air and gauging the surroundings (although she was appreciating them more, as she was in space for longer than she had cared to be). Samus lazily swung her right arm (Arm Cannon) around out of habit, listening to the sounds of the forest.

_A quaint area… I like it._

With her initial paranoia satisfied, Samus hunched down and with great strength, launched herself off the top of her ship and summersaulted in the air numerous times; landing perfectly on her feet and in a crouched position in front of her ship.

_That never gets old; no matter how many times I do it._

She stood up on the earthly surface for the first time and took a full look around her, ensuring that she wasn't being watched by anything with malicious intent. Her second paranoia satisfied, she brought her cannon up to her chest and keyed in a few commands on it with her left hand, arming her Power Beam and establishing a cloaking device on her ship. Her visor booted up with several schematics such as current weapon layouts, different visor capabilities, energy shielding (fully charged), and other range-finding and useful tools. With final preparations complete, she did an obligatory swing of her Arm Cannon and proceeded to walk northward into the forest.

_So it begins once more._

* * *

**To those who follow me, if you were wondering where I was, on my free time this is what I was getting down. I have two more chapters backlogged and working on a fourth. This is also published on fimfiction as well so you guys deserve to know too. Curious as to how it will be received here. Don't worry, I'm also working on my other stories, especially those of you who are waiting on 'Equestrian Politics.' Either way, what do you think? All reviews welcome :)**


	2. Ponies

**A/N: Hey guys! Time to release the next chapter here. A bit of warning: introductions take place in this chapter and they are a bit short, scripted, and relatively generic. Why? I don't like writing introductions. They're very tedious, especially for the Mane Six, and many tend to go overzealous with them and just end up screwing it up. So, please don't be bothered by that. Also, consider it a situational thing as well. Other than that, enjoy!**

* * *

_**Metroid: Equis**_

**Chapter 2**

**Ponies**

All her systems were a go as Samus trekked through the first trees out of the clearing. She held her Arm Cannon at a slightly raised position while she used her left hand to help clear a path through the foliage when necessary. It was a habit to be in a 'passive-aggressive' state, because from her experience, that extra second to lift her Cannon to battle ready status could mean the difference between besting an enemy and being severely wounded.

Either way, she was extremely cautious in this new environment… simply listening to the sounds of the forest as nothing of particular interest showed up that was worth gathering information about… for the time being. Soon enough, out of pure habit, Samus brought her left hand up to her helmet and switched her standard Combat Visor to her Scan Visor, allowing her to find particular objects and points of interest… "scanning" them, and retrieving sometimes vital information. Small indicators appeared over scan-able trees and fauna, but nothing really necessary to her survival or mission completion. There was no Phazon in the area. That was certain.

_The town appeared a few miles north of here. Maybe something interesting will happen on my way there… _

Samus set herself right on her course and walked on.

_Oh who am I kidding, of course something will happen. It never fails._

It was basic Hunter instinct and experience that told her no matter how quiet the forest may be, she was never alone. After taking a few more steps the sound of a branch breaking behind her immediately grabbed her attention. Samus spun on her heel and planted her legs in a combat ready stance, pointing her Arm Cannon in the general area of the offensive noise… only to find a rabbit staring at her in a curious way. She lowered her weapon slightly and looked back with a humorous expression on her face… although the outside world couldn't see it through her green visor.

_A little rabbit… it's kinda cute. _

Soon after, a doe emerged from the bushes next to the rabbit, again sporting the curious look on its face.

_Deer… are they not afraid of me?_

Samus lowered her Cannon to her side and sensed movement behind her. Upon turning her head and consequently her body around, she was shocked to find a falcon and a couple other birds land on the ground and the surrounding branches. As she eyed the birds, Samus felt something nudge the back of her helmet. Turning once more she found the doe nuzzling her. Her defenses crumbled and she reached out with her left hand to stroke the face of the doe, petting it. Although they couldn't see it, Samus was definitely smiling in a giddy fashion. She hadn't been this close to wildlife before, at least the wildlife that didn't want to kill her.

There was another twig snap, which gained the attention of every animal, accompanied by a series of low growls. Samus turned towards the area in question to find the offending creatures.

_Wolves…_

The animals all scurried and flew away, leaving Samus alone, which was perfectly fine by her. However, something was off about these wolves…

_Are they… made of wood?!_

The four wolves began to circle her, deciding not to attack her yet so they could gauge her threat level. Samus used this time to scan the weird creatures. Switching to her scan visor, she pressed and held a button once her visor reticle was trained on one of the creatures. The scan finished with three 'beeping' sounds, displaying information on Samus's visor:

"**Recorded to Logbook." **

**[Morphology: Timber Wolf]**

_You have __**got**__ to be kidding me… seriously?_

**[Lumber composed Canine Predator. Possess all traits of the common wolf, save for being bound together by innumerable pieces of wood by unknown means. Common predator in the forests of planets within the 51****st**** Quadrant of Federation Space. Timber Wolf bodies are very fragile as a result of their construction. Exploit this weakness; however be aware of the wolves' unusually sharp teeth and claws.] **

All she needed to know. She switched to her combat visor once more and raised her Arm Cannon in an offensive stance, pointing it towards the first wolf.

_Alright… Sammy needs to practice her aim. Which one of you is first?_

On cue, one of the timber wolves snarled and lunged at her from behind. Samus, in fractions of a second due to experience, immediately targeted the offending creature, aimed her Cannon and fired one Power Beam projectile:

***POW!***

The golden projectile hit the attacking timber wolf midair, striking it in the chest and causing it to explode in a hail of lumber and wood fragments. After the first wolf went down, Samus immediately turned back towards her front and wasted no time in finishing off the rest before they could attack her or flee to regroup.

***POW!* *POW!* *POW!***

In perfect succession, Samus fired three more rounds into the three timber wolves, scattering their wooden carcasses all over the forest floor. She retracted her Arm Cannon in front of her and placed her left hand over the chassis in a semi-victorious fashion.

_Too easy…_

Samus began to casually walk away before she heard a slight twitching in the lumber remains behind her. She peeked over her shoulder plate and found the timber wolves reassembling themselves from the remains.

_Or not. _

Samus returned to her fighting stance, facing the four wolves that were hell bent on getting revenge on her for scattering their forms. To her, it was obvious that she couldn't shoot them with her Power Beam or simply pull them apart by conventional means. She kept her sights and Cannon trained on the growling and snarling timber wolves… just waiting for them to make a move. But before any attack came, the solution hit her like a Pirate Frigate:

_Samus, you're an idiot. _

She adjusted the orientation of the fingers of her right hand inside of the Arm Cannon, consequently eliciting a golden glow of the appendage that emanated from the barrel, but moved its way to the rear and back in a 'scanning' motion. The Cannon then became elongated outwards, stretching its components, with the voids being filled with magma: Samus's feared Plasma Beam.

Her new weapon armed, she trained the sights on the first timber wolf and fired. A powerful beam of pure molten substance shot out at high velocity, striking the creature and burning it up completely. There were no remains to be seen. Two of the other wolves jumped her at once, only for Samus to roll out of the way and fire two more beams in rapid succession; incinerating the two timber wolves where they stood. She aimed her Cannon at the last timber wolf who was cowering at the sight of his companions getting vaporized. Samus didn't fire and gave the creature a chance to flee.

"Go! Get out of here… before I charge this damn thing."

The wolf needed no other harsh words. It turned on its legs and scampered off into the forest, whimpering the entire way. Samus gave a curt nod in its direction, acknowledging the defeat. Her Cannon phased back to her Power Beam (which was the default beam) before she turned around and strolled northward through the forest once more.

'_Timber' wolves… hehe. _

Samus continued her trek, but not in a hurried pace. She didn't know the extent of the Phazon threat. For that, the Federation would have to do more investigating, but from what she could tell, this forest at least wasn't afflicted. Still, it was wise to get things done in a timely manner; at least in her line of work… it tended to avoid casualties. Her animal friends from before joined up with her again, walking alongside her. Granted, this wasn't something she was used to in the slightest, but she didn't complain about the company. Animals tended to have a knack for sensing things beyond human scope, after all.

Once again, Samus was stirred from her happy musings by an enormous roar in the distance… approximately a small trek east of her position. It wouldn't have been too bad, if said roar wasn't immediately followed (and overlapped) by a shrill scream of terror. Samus immediately sprung into a battle ready stance and looked off into the general area of where the two vocalizations came from. The animals, oddly enough, didn't scurry, but ran towards the sound. Before Samus could even wonder about them, the doe and the rabbit stopped and turned their heads over their shoulders, yet still ready to scurry off towards the disturbance… it was as if they knew something.

_Universal non-sapien animal language for 'follow.' Either way, someone's clearly in dire straits. Lead the way!_

Samus nodded to the animals; prepared to follow them… she trusted them for some odd reason. They seemed… different. Either way, the birds, doe, rabbit, and others sped off towards the continuing cries for help and roars. Samus ran behind them, matching their agility when having to bound over downed trees, cross natural trenches (by her choice of either jumping or summersaulting… or both). Soon enough the animals scurried in random directions, leading Samus to infer that they were right on top of the disturbance.

"Somepony… girls! Please help me!"

_Some…pony?_

Samus's thoughts and questions were tossed aside when an enormous roar sounded again to her right. She turned and was met with the sight of what looked like an enormous lion… easily beyond several times the size of her, with a scorpion's tail and wings on its back.

Not even knowing who (or what) cried for help, she sprang into action. Samus aimed her cannon at the large creature, almost unphased by its appearance. Through her adventures, Samus's most used phrase soon became: "Oh jeez, what the _hell_ is that?" So, using the preliminary calm before the impending battle, Samus did what she always did: scan.

Switching to her scan visor with her left hand, the internal computer in her helmet downloaded the necessary information as the two circled each other.

***BEEP-BEEP-BEEP***

"**Recorded to Logbook." **

**[Morphology: Manticore]**

**[Hybrid Feline predator. Manticores are known for their seemingly genetic hybridity between a large lion, scorpion, and bat, as evidence from the large scorpion's tail and the large wings they possess. Enormously territorial and confrontational, manticores will relentlessly attack their prey and enemies with their razor sharp claws, stinging barb in the tail which produces highly toxic venom, and their powerful jaws. Subjects are extremely aggressive and very durable, possessing higher than average predatorial constitution and alacrity. Proceed with caution.] **

Samus returned her visor to its combat form and planned her manner of attack-and-defend. Coming up with something solid, she unleashed fire from her Arm Cannon's Power Beam, unloading seven rounds into the manticore… which doubled back in pain (obvious from the anguish in its roars), but it ultimately only served to enrage the beast even more without dealing any lasting or crippling wounds. It charged at her and took a swipe. Samus dashed and rolled out of the way before getting back on her feet and unleashing another torrent of rapid fire of her Power Beam, followed by the launching of a missile. The missile exploded somewhere on the chest of the manticore, leaving the fur singed and burned but nevertheless it soldiered on, becoming even more enraged. It swiped again at her and Samus rolled out of the way once more, but only to come into contact with the manticore's scorpion tail sweeping in her path. It collided with her fiercely and she was thrown against a tree, shattering the bark with her impact.

Samus slumped to the ground after the hard impact but instantly recovered on her feet. She took notice that her suit's energy drained forty-six units as a result of the attack. Getting back into the fight, she concluded that ranging the manticore would only further aggravate it, and she didn't think it was a particularly good idea to attempt to set it on fire due to them being in a forest (the Plasma Beam only worked for the timber wolves because they were flammable as well as their size, allowing for near instantaneous vaporization). So, Samus believed she'd have to get in close and go for a killing strike… but that could prove problematic with the manticore's cat-like reflexes and barbed tail. After circling each other once more, the Hunter formed another plan.

She altered her right hand's orientation inside her Arm Cannon by separating her fingers outward, thus switching to the Wave Beam. She fired three rounds at the creature, each one homing in on it despite its attempts to evade; shocking it each time it hit. Samus then charged the beam, gathering its energy and forming an enormous ball of pure, purple-colored electricity which was coursing through her now bloated Arm Cannon. The creature still didn't back off, so she released the enormous projectile with a loud 'bang,' having it find its target in the manticore's chest. The impact of pure electricity sent the beast into a catatonic and convulsive seizure where it stood. Using this opening, Samus sprinted towards the creature and leaped up onto it, climbing onto its back while it was still in the midst of the Wave Beam's electrical shocking effect. Once she reached the back of its neck, she armed a missile and inserted the Cannon into its mouth; firing off the concussive round and having it detonate inside. That ended the fight immediately as the manticore stopped moving and slumped to the ground lifeless. As the now deceased creature fell to the ground, Samus leaped off of its back, somersaulting once more and landing on her feet; turning to see her handiwork.

_That was… interesting. That hit hurt, too. _

Samus gave a curt nod to the corpse, honoring it, in a weird sense, for providing her with a worthy battle. She respected all of her adversaries in her own way, even the ones she loathed with a passion.

_Ridley…_

She stretched her back and arms out, and as she was about to turn around another snap of a twig alerted her to another presence. Samus instantly raised and aimed her Cannon out to the side towards the noise.

"Eeep…"

_Huh?_

Samus lowered her Cannon and turned towards the faint voice and found a cream-yellow, pink-maned…

_Pony…? _

Upon a closer look, it had wings, which Samus was able to recall the names for winged horses being 'pegasus,' or 'pegasi,' in this case. She found the smaller creature trembling with fright and hiding one of its teal blue eyes behind its mane. Samus cautiously approached the pony as to not frighten her any more than she already was… most likely as a result of witnessing the battle between her and the maticore. She (or Samus _assumed_ it was a 'she,') didn't even attempt to run. It was literally paralyzed in fear, and only trembled and whimpered more so as Samus stepped closer. When she was close enough, Samus got down on one knee so she could be at approximate eye level with the pegasus, who only shrunk lower, but managed to look back with some curiosity in her eye. The Hunter extended her left hand as a sign of good will to the creature and spoke with a soft tone:

"Do not be afraid, little pony. I mean you no harm."

The pony stopped trembling a bit and peeked out more from her mane in order to get a better look at Samus… or what probably looked like a 'metal monster' to her. She did not expect such a soothing and feminine sounding voice to permeate through the robotic creature… one that didn't even appear to have a mouth.

The pegasus wordlessly nodded, although she was still apprehensive. This universal language of approval or acceptance took Samus a bit by surprise; for now there was no doubt that the pony understood her perfectly. She decided to 'press her advantage,' in a manner of speaking.

"Were you the one that screamed for help?" the Hunter asked. She mainly hoped to prove that she meant the creature no harm through the softness of her voice rather than through cognitive understanding. There was little doubt in her mind that the creature was sentient and could probably speak; however the chances of the pony actually speaking the same language as her were virtually nonexistent.

"Y-yes…"

Samus's eyes widened (although the pony couldn't see). She did a quick check and confirmed that her helmet's translator was not active for the response. Now _this_ was completely unexpected.

"Wait… you're able to understand me?" Samus asked, clarifying.

"Y-yes… I can…" the pony replied, softening her stance and opening up a bit more. Samus drew her gaze down and to the side… pondering everything so far.

_Sentient, Basic-speaking ponies. I can't even… Well, this makes things easier. A lot easier. _

She turned back to the pegasus:

"Are you hurt? Do you require any medical attention?"

"N-no, I'm fine. Is h-he… dead?" she asked in return, pointing towards the corpse of the defeated manticore.

"Indeed."

The pony sighed and looked down in a disappointed/defeated manner.

"I was hoping it w-wouldn't have to come to that. It saddens me greatly to see any animal killed. Either way, t-thank you for rescuing me," she said a bit louder but still relatively softly and hiding behind her mane a bit. It was clear that she was either still nervous towards Samus, or just really shy. Samus picked the former.

"No problem… but what's your name?" Samus asked.

"I-I'm Fluttersh…"

"I'm sorry? I couldn't here you there."

"M-my name is F-Fluttershy…"

_Umm… Sure. Fine. Okay. _

"That's… an interesting name. I'm Samus. Samus Aran."

"I c-could say the same for you… if t-that's okay with you…"

Samus found her antics slightly amusing; especially since she was living up to her name in a manner of speaking. From what she could also gather, this Fluttershy was a lover of animals. That would explain a lot actually… especially when Samus's animal entourage led her to the pegasus when she was in danger. Speaking of which, Samus noticed that the doe and rabbit appeared next to Fluttershy.

"Did you venture into the forest alone?"

"N-No. My five other friends and I came into the forest to search f-for something that ap-parently landed somewhere here. We split up to cover more ground and that's when I got attacked," Fluttershy explained.

_They witnessed my arrival and were looking for me. I suppose that makes things a bit easier…_

Before Samus could speak, Fluttershy had the wheels turning in her head.

"Was it _you_ who somehow came from the sky and landed here?" Samus nodded.

"You could say that, but there's an important reason as to why I'm here. That can all be discussed in due time but I believe it's in our best interest to find your friends and let them know of your safety as well as my presence," Samus suggested. Fluttershy, who was less afraid of the green-faced metal-clad creature now standing in front of her, seemed to agree.

"Y-yeah that would probably be a good idea. They shouldn't be too far away fr—"

"FLUTTERSHY?! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

They both turned at the interruption and found a Rainbow-maned pegasus rushing through some bushes.

"There you are Flutter…shy…" the female pegasus's voice trailed off as she took in the sight of Samus towering over Fluttershy; both looking at her. The cyan pegasus instantly flew towards Samus aggressively. Samus saw this coming (with a bit of astonishment) and dodged.

"What did you do to her, you freak?!" she asked with malice in her eyes, fluttering in place and ready to attempt another attack.

"RAINBOW DASH!" Fluttershy scolded. The two turned towards the yellow pegasus with surprised looks (though, of course, Samus's couldn't be seen).

"You have no reason to treat our guest like that! She, in fact, saved me!" Fluttershy proclaimed, pointing her hoof towards the downed manticore to further accentuate her point. Rainbow finally noticed the body. She mouthed 'Oooh…' in recognition.

"And her name is Samus!" Fluttershy continued. She then whispered to the Hunter:

"You _are_ a girl… right?"

Samus wore a deadpanned expression, which, of course, was concealed. She merely nodded in response. Under Fluttershy's scrutiny, Rainbow Dash fluttered to the ground and rubbed the back of her head with one of her fore-hooves, a sheepish grin plastered on her face.

"S-Sorry about that… kinda got carried away when I saw you two there. After her scream I just connected the easiest dots. Thanks for looking out for her," Rainbow apologized and expressed gratitude… although some of it came from obligation due to Fluttershy's serious expression, which lightened considerably.

"Don't worry about it. No harm done."

"I'm Rainbow Dash, by the way… and what _are_ you?" the prismatic-maned pegasus asked, getting a closer look at the armor-clad Hunter.

"Samus, pleasure. And I'm human."

"Human, huh? Twilight would probably know more," Rainbow added. Fluttershy agreed.

"Yes, and we were talking before you arrived. It would probably be wise to find the rest of the girls. Samus here was actually the one who somehow landed here."

"Really? You can fly?!" Rainbow Dash asked eagerly, her demeanor lightening up considerably.

"By myself, no. I actually arrived in my ship which is south from here," Samus responded, motioning behind her with her cannon.

"Ship? You mean like a chariot?" Dash asked confusedly.

_This will take some explaining. _

"Ehhh… more or less, yeah."

"That's… so awesome! Can you show me? Huh? Can ya?" Rainbow asked even more eagerly, fluttering up to eye level with Samus.

_Well, she's certainly taking a fully armed alien in stride._

"Later, we don't have the time for that right now. It's important that we find your friends since you've been looking for me," the Hunter responded.

"Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash! Where are you two?" another voice called out coincidentally.

_Well, okay then!_

"We're over here! Come this way! We found what we've been looking for!" Rainbow shouted back.

"What does that mean? And stay there, we're coming to you!"

"Waiting on you!" Rainbow shouted back once more.

"How many of you are there?" Samus asked out of curiosity.

"There's six of us, and you'll get to meet the other four in a few seconds."

Before the human could respond, four more ponies galloped through the brush towards them, stopping suddenly once they caught sight of the Hunter. They looked up at her in awe, and Samus wasn't sure how to go from here.

"G-Girls, this is Samus. She was the one who landed here in the Everfree and she rescued me from a large manticore, and she's a human… be nice to her…"Fluttershy introduced, still with her shy demeanor.

_Unicorns… really now. _

"A human?!" the lavender unicorn's eyes brightened. "All literature says they're just myths! And you don't really match the pictures."

_Well, that's ironic. _

"My, my… whatever it is you're wearing is simply marvelous!" the white unicorn exclaimed, walking around and examining the Hunter's armor. Samus watched her path out of instinct.

"Oh, where are our manners? I'm Twilight Sparkle, personal student of one of our rulers, Princess Celestia, and tasked with assembling the six of us to discover what landed in the Everfree forest," the lavender unicorn introduced herself.

"I'm Rarity, and I must compliment you on your style of clothing… even if it is armor. You simply must tell me more about it when we get the time!" the white unicorn proclaimed.

"Ah'm Applejack. Me an' mah family run Sweet Apple Acres. Ain't gonna find finer apples in all of Equestria!" the orange mare commented.

_Equestria? Must be their nation or colloquially recognized name for their planet. _

"I'm Pinkie Pie but everypony calls me Pinkie. I work at Sugarcube Corner baking and cooking and I'm LOVE to party! Since you're an alien, that means you're not from this world and if you're not from this world then I don't know you and if I don't know you…" The pink mare stopped bouncing in place hyperactively and gasped audibly. Before she could do anything else, Twilight stopped her.

"Okay Pinkie, that's enough for now."

Samus stood there with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

_What just happened?_

That's when she realized that it was probably wise to formally introduce herself as well. Confirming that the air was indeed breathable, she pressed a release on her helmet, accompanied by a click and hissing sound before she slid it off of her head, revealing her feminine, humanoid face. The other ponies' eyes lit up in awe as they got to see her true face that was not hiding behind the visor. Samus took a deep breath before speaking, holding her helmet under her left arm.

"I'm Samus. Samus Aran, and it's a pleasure to meet you all, albeit under somewhat less than appealing circumstances."

"Likewise, Miss Aran. I am under orders from our ruler, Princess Celestia, to take you with us so she can personally meet you, along with her sister. All will be explained and hopefully you can provide us with some—"

Twilight was interrupted when another roar in the distance made everyone perk up.

"While I appreciate the friendliness, Twilight, I think it would be better if we were not in this forest anymore…" the Hunter proclaimed. She nodded.

"You're probably right. Come on everypony, let's get back to the Library," Twilight ordered. Everyone nodded and formed up, walking northward towards the forest, Samus keeping somewhat to the rear, raising her cannon and just listening for trouble. She had replaced her helmet on her head for ease as well as to conceal her 'thinking face,' as she took everything in.

_Sentient, candy-colored ponies. It's times like these where I wished my Gunship had a full bar._

They trekked on in relative silence, save for a few questions asked back and forth (as they were saving the major discussion for when they weren't under threat of being slaughtered by possibly another manticore or whatever else lurked in the Everfree). After about an hour and a half's worth of travel, they arrived forest periphery.

"Twilight Sparkle, I don't believe it's wise if I stroll into town with you at first, lest you're all comfortable with armor-clad humans walking around," Samus pointed out, examining the town and its occupants going on about their days.

"Good point. I'll cast an invisibility spell on you and disengage it once we enter the Library."

Samus blinked a couple of times, wrapping her head around what was just told to her.

"Invisibility spell?"

"Well, yeah. It's quite common that—OH! Right, not from here. Well, as a unicorn I, as well as Rarity over there are capable of using and manipulating magic," Twilight explained.

Samus's eye twitched.

_Magic. Guess I shouldn't be surprised in that sense.__**  
**_

"Samus, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, noticing that the Hunter was just standing there, her visor or helmet not moving in the slightest. Samus shook her thoughts clear.

"Very well. Do what you must," she finally answered. Twilight nodded and charged her horn, which Samus took great interest in.

_I'm definitely getting a wealth of new information. I'll make certain of it. _

"Ready?" Twilight asked, confirming. Samus gave a curt nod. With that, Twilight's horn casted a single beam which enveloped the armor-clad Hunter and lingered momentarily before disappearing. Samus's systems responded immediately, displaying diagnostics on her visor.

**[Unknown force acted upon Varia Suit. Scanning…]**

**.**

**[No adverse effects detected. Varia Suit has temporary ability to distort light waves, rendering you invisible.]**

Samus was unable to see her physical body when she looked down. Waving her arms in front of her face failed to yield any results either. She was indeed, invisible.

"This is… very interesting," Samus commented, switching to her X-Ray visor and finding her physical body still there. She was still able to touch it as well.

_Of all the things I have seen throughout my days… I cannot fathom this. Even Shadow Pirate stealth technology pales in comparison. _

Twilight giggled a bit. That was the usual reaction of those with first experience with a directly applied invisibility spell.

"I'll explain magic as best as I can to you when we sit down and talk about the whole situation at hands. I'm assuming you know about the meteor that struck our planet?" Twilight asked.

"That is actually most of the reason why I'm here, so your assumption is correct. I feel it is wise to also speak with your leader or leaders as well when we do discuss important matters and implications," Samus added. Twilight nodded.

"Alright, I'll send a quick letter to the Princesses and they'll do their best to explain the entire situation. Now come on everypony, and… person?"

Samus gave an audible confirmation at the correct word usage. Twilight nodded back with a smile and beckoned the group out of the brush and into the town limits. Samus followed closely behind, careful not to bump into anyone or anything. Soon enough they arrived at the front door of a large…

_Tree house. Hehehe. _

"We're here. Please, make yourself at home, Samus, and we'll send for the Princesses," Twilight added.

_Home… a word I haven't used in a while. _

Samus brought herself out of her inner monologue and nodded in thanks to Twilight, letting herself in after the rest of the group.

The next few hours of discussion would be crucial.


	3. Phazon

_**Metroid: Equis**_

**Chapter 3**

**Phazon**

Once the group of seven entered the Golden Oaks Library, the door was shut behind them and they dispersed in an organized way, finding solace in quick tasks to perform before the impending talk. After Twilight disengaged the invisibility, Samus opted for what looked to be an arm chair, albeit it was a tad small. Deciding against unequipping her Varia Suit just yet, she took Twilight's offer on getting herself comfortable. Samus lightly strolled over to the pretty comfortable looking chair with a resounding 'clink' after each step, which was ultimately drowned out by the random chatter going on between the six ponies in the room. With a sigh, Samus plopped down on the chair and just wordlessly stared at them, as well as her surroundings. The ponies let Samus have her space for now out of what appeared to be courtesy, but the Hunter believed that the motivation was more so out of apprehensiveness.

It was interesting to see that the entire, enormous tree had been hollowed out and created into a rather quaint living residence. The wood finish on everything provided a homely sense of tranquility, on top of large amounts of books that were undoubtedly filled with limitless knowledge of this new land Samus was in. She'd be sure to ask to borrow a few books on choice subjects, more towards pony demography and other cartographical references so she could log them into her database and map respectively. That would actually be first priority when she set off once more: mapping the area as best as she could. Since Samus was relatively sure that no map station existed on Equis, (or Equestria, as it's called), she'd have to insert map data manually.

On another note, Samus could not even remember the last time she was cordially invited into someone's place of residence; or rather she assumed this library was also a place of residence if the bedrooms and bathrooms gave her any indication. She had foregone much social contact, but that was the way of life of a Bounty Hunter. Even though she was here on business and business only, it was a welcome change. Though she worked alone, she had no complaint about having allies… at least that's what she hoped to ultimately consider these ponies.

As the ponies all chatted, got snacks, and talked about what would be written in a letter to what sounded like their leaders, Samus decided to do something that she had foregone earlier due to the circumstances.

_Let's see if we can get a bit more information on our hosts…_

The Hunter switched her visor to Scan, intending to learn as much as she could about the dominant species. Her reticle locked onto Twilight as she had her back turned and was talking with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

"**Recorded to Logbook." **

**[Morphology: Equis Unicorn]**

**[Sapient energy-manipulating equine life-form. Native inhabitants of Equis, unicorns are one of four types of 'ponies,' the others being normal or 'earth' ponies, 'pegasi' ponies, and 'alicorns;' the latter which appear to be hybrids between the unicorns and pegasi. Unicorns are easily identified by the protruding, pointed appendage on their foreheads, commonly referred to as a 'horn.' This allows the species to control limited portions of the physical forces within themselves and the surrounding universe, bestowing them with numerous abilities including, but not limited to: directly manipulating the resulting energy to their whim, using as a telekinetic medium, or, in extreme cases, distorting reality. These feats are colloquially known as 'magic.' Abilities are not unlike the Chozo expertise and powers, save for the absolute need of the horn in order to utilize said abilities. If the horn is damaged/destroyed or violently removed, magic usage is nigh impossible without extreme probability of backfire.]**

_That's… very interesting, actually._

"SPIKE?! Are you here?! I need you to take a letter!" Twilight yelled out, turning around. This revealed another scan-able object: her horn.

"Yeah I'm here! I'll be down in a sec," a voice called back.

"**Recorded to Logbook."**

**[Object: Equis Unicorn Horn]**

**[Organic force-manipulation appendage. A unicorn's horn is composed of bone, cartilage and an unknown genetic neurological makeup. It allows the tapping into and harnessing of the physical forces for any use which would be determined by the 'spellcaster;' as its manipulation is commonly referred to as 'magic.' Harnessing of forces (e.g. kinetic, gravitational, magnetic, etc.) is essentially explained, in theory by the creation of artificial vector fields with unlimited free parameters, allowing the unicorn to perform nearly any task with the 'borrowed' potential energy. Horns are very sensitive to touch, where the firmer touch has the ability to cause enormous pain, and the lighter touch has the effect comparable to an erogenous zone.**

_I could have lived my life not knowing that…_

**Use the former property of sensitivity to your advantage if at all necessary. If the horn becomes crippled in any way, magic summoning is all but impossible without extreme (and possibly deadly) repercussions for the caster.]**

"…That should be all. Go ahead and send it to Princess Celestia please," Samus heard Twilight say when she disengaged the notes from her Scan Visor.

"Miss Aran?"

Samus perked up and looked to find Twilight standing with Spike. She had intended to scan one of the pegasi and earth ponies in order to read information, but Samus opted to just do a quick scan of Pinkie and Rainbow, before logging the data and answering Twilight's call.

"Please, Twilight. 'Samus' is just fine. And yes?"

"I'd like to introduce you to my number one assistant, Spike. He's a baby dragon," Twilight motioned to the young drake, who was looking in awe at the new visitor.

"Twilight… seriously?" Spike complained, as he didn't want to be embarrassed in front of their new visitor by being called a 'baby,' though he technically was. Samus only stared at him for a few moments.

_Dragon…_

She shook herself out of her musings.

"Samus. Pleasure, Spike," Samus curtly introduced herself, offering her hand to which he accepted the gesture. The other ponies came trotting over as well, forming around her, although not invading her personal space.

"Wow… you don't look like humans that I've read about in books. Is this your skin? Or scales?" The young drake asked.

"Not quite. This is more of… battle armor," Samus replied, attempting to find a suitable analogy for her Varia Suit. She figured 'Chozo Warrior Exoskeleton' would elicit a few more questions than what she was willing to answer at the moment.

"Ah, like the Royal Guards," Twilight inferred. Samus shrugged.

"I'll take your word for it. But on that note, I take it your leaders are on their way and I don't believe it would be wise to be donned in battle-ready equipment. Allow me," Samus added, standing up and activating the console on her Arm Cannon hinge. The circular console flipped out and she typed in a few commands on the buttons, the result being her entire figure engulfed in a golden, transparent light for about two seconds. When the directed light faded away, Samus's Varia Suit had vanished, leaving her clad in her Zero Suit.

The ponies were silent at first, taking in Samus's true appearance as she stretched herself out and ultimately plopped back down on the comfy chair with a satisfactory sigh.

_That's better._

"You really don't look so tough out of your armor," Rainbow Dash commented with her ever present overconfidence. Samus just gave her a deadpanned look.

"Samus, we sent a letter to the Princesses and they should be with us soon. In the meantime, we thought we could just… umm… talk?" Twilight awkwardly suggested. In truth she was dying to get answers to almost every question she could think of, but some information was best left for when Celestia and Luna arrived.

Samus noted the fact that she would soon be meeting with the equine leaders, or Princesses. Until then, she also acknowledged that there was not much else to do but chat idly. Samus figured that she could at least make some effort in familiarizing herself with her surroundings as well as the inhabitants with what limited social skills she possessed. She shrugged.

"Very well; we'll leave all discussions on my arrival and purpose for when your Princesses show up. But until then, yeah, I suppose we could… talk," Samus answered with equal awkwardness. To hell with being invited in as a guest, she couldn't remember the last time she actually sat down and leisurely spoke with others.

_Not since Zebes… I miss all of them. _

Twilight brightened at the opportunity, as did the others who more than desired to know more about the Hunter, which struck Samus as rather odd. An alien-being touched down on their planet, they locate her and almost instantly treat her like a friend, even in her most menacing form which was in her Varia Suit. Granted, they were quite the bit more apprehensive when Samus was clad in her battle armor as opposed to her sitting in nothing more than her Zero Suit that moment, but still! The ponies were _very_ accepting so it seemed. She didn't understand these ponies in the slightest, but that wouldn't always have to be the case. Also, that didn't mean that she wasn't the least bit grateful for their hospitality and non-hostility towards her. She'd be sure to express that again in due time.

"So, Darling, I have to say: whatever you're wearing right now is simply magnificent!" Rarity commented, entranced with the Bounty Hunter's _choice_ of attire. Samus could safely say that she had never talked, or had been complimented, about her Zero Suit.

"Thank you. It's not the most stylish or, depending where you are, appropriate attire…" Samus began, referring to the skin-tightness with her latter clause, shooting a fleeting glance at her chest. "…but at least it's really comfortable and flexible. Very much required in my line of work," she explained.

"But you don't have wear that all the time, right?" Rainbow asked, admiring its color scheme.

"Well, of course I'd have to take it off once in a while for obvious reasons."

"'Once in a while?' Dear, do you mean to tell us that that's the only item of actual clothing you have?!" Rarity asked, almost flabbergasted. That was an interesting question for the young Hunter. Samus actually thought for a few seconds and she couldn't even remember if she carried 'normal' clothing in her gunship at any time. It was always habit for her to constantly be in her Zero Suit (and putting it back on after having to remove it for whatever purpose) in case she had to jump into her Battle Suit in a moment's notice. She really had no use for _casual_ clothing.

"Ummm… I believe so. I've had no other use for regular clothing. I haven't been in an environment where I've needed it, or could have used it; especially since on my previous missions, everything in the environment wanted to kill me. I had to be in my Varia Suit at all times," Samus pointed out.

"Yer Very-what now?" Applejack inquired. Samus retained a stoic/neutral expression on her face, but she almost giggled at that. _Almost_.

"My _Varia _Suit. My battle suit that you all met me in." There was a collective 'ah' of understanding from the six ponies and one dragon.

"Then that settles it! You simply must let me create a couple new sets of clothes for you, Samus. Absolutely free of charge!" Rarity said with enthusiasm and an inflection that left little to argue with.

"Ummm… Rarity, right?" The white unicorn nodded. "As much as I appreciate your generosity, I'm here strictly on assignment and no time to socialize," Samus added.

"Maybe so, but for how long?"

***KNOCK**KNOCK*KNOCK***

Everybody perked up at the firm knocks at the door.

"That was… fast…" Samus commented. Twilight got up and trot to the door.

"They're usually here a lot faster," Twilight retorted as she opened the door. She was greeted by the sight of the two regal sisters, ever smiling and grinning (on Luna's part), with about four Royal Guards standing next to them.

"Princesses!" Twilight yelled happily and embraced her mentor. Celestia only giggled a bit before returning said embrace, nuzzling her.

"Good to see you as always, my faithful student," Celestia added in.

"Indeed. Wonderful to see you again at last!" Luna commented.

"Please come in! Everypony is here, as well as our guest," Twilight beckoned the group inside. Samus could only hear the conversation as the door blocked her view, but when Twilight led the group inside, her eyes came upon what she could only describe as a 'pure white' alicorn (thinking in terminology from her scanner), accompanied by an equally admirable looking dark blue alicorn who was slightly shorter in stature. All appeared to have adorned royal regalia, so if that told the Hunter anything, they were definitely the Princesses.

All the ponies stood up from their sitting positions and Samus opted to do the same and leave the rather comfy chair for a moment. When the two alicorns locked eyes with everyone the ponies smiled and bowed to their leaders. They were not Samus's leaders so she opted more for a respectful nod of acknowledgement when they looked at her. That eased things a bit, she could tell. They nodded back to her. Samus kept note of what she assumed were Royal Guards, four of them flanking the princesses. Two of them gave Samus rather dirty looks, ones which she returned with a stoic gaze. Samus already didn't like them and knew they were going to give her trouble despite the Princesses' friendly nature.

"Wonderful to see you all again, my little ponies. And, who might this be?" Celestia asked, turning her attention to the Zero Suit-clad Hunter. Twilight looked to Samus and nodded, essentially 'saying' that it was okay to introduce herself. She moved forward swiftly and rose her hand up in a greeting manner. Right when she was about to speak, the front guard intercepted her and lowered his spear at her. The ponies became very surprised at this point, as this all happened in a matter of about two seconds.

"Halt! You will not approach the Princess, beast!" it spat out in clear contempt. The Elements were horrified and before either Luna or Celestia could act, Samus instantaneously raised her right hand and grabbed the front (not the tip) of the spear and redirected it harshly, still keeping it firmly grasped and surprising everyone with the sheer quickness of her action. She then gave the guard a rather intimidating stare, in which he himself wore an astonished yet firm gaze.

"Do not point your weapon at me… guard-dog," Samus ordered in a very calm and non-threatening tone.

"Steel Blade! Sheath your weapon immediately! Twilight Sparkle has already deemed the Human nonthreatening. You will let her approach." Luna scolded the Guard heavily. Samus and he locked eyes once more before she let the spear go, and he returned to his position.

"Many apologies on behalf of our guards. They can be quite overprotective," Celestia stepped forward to help close the distance between her and Samus. Luna fell into step with her sister as well.

"Really, it was no issue," the Hunter replied, fixing a lock of her hair behind her ear. Celestia nodded.

"Well, since it appears there is no language barrier, I'll get right to the chase. I am Princess Celestia, Princess of the Day. With me is my younger sister, Princess Luna, Princess of the Night," Celestia introduced, motioning her hoof towards Luna.

"Charmed," Luna added in with a small grin. "And we both co-rule over this nation of Equestria," she finished.

"Princesses Celestia and Luna, leaders of Equestria. Pleased to make your acquaintances, I'm Samus Aran," the Hunter introduced herself formally, extending her hand which the princesses accepted with a small shake. The other ponies just watched with keen interest and silence as the conversation unfolded.

"With what we were briefed by Twilight, we know enough to go on so we shan't play coy with you. Although you seem to possess great technology and weaponry, we have been informed that you are not of any threat to us. However, we would like to ask why you might be here?" Luna asked.

_Straight to the point. I like them already. _

"I'm assuming you're aware of the meteor that landed somewhere?" Samus asked, confirming what she was readily sure that they already knew. Celestia grinned.

"We were hoping you'd say something along those lines. Come, let us all sit," Celestia said in a cool manner, gesturing with her front-right hoof towards the ground where all the pillows and a small table were. "Guards, you may leave us," she then added over her shoulder. Steel Blade looked like he was about to protest.

"**DO NOT QUESTION MY SISTER'S ORDERS. LEAVE US IMMEDIATELY!**" Luna affirmed in her amplified voice. Samus winced and covered her ears slightly, as did the other ponies. The guards were almost thrown off their hooves by the forcefulness of Luna's voice and they quickly nodded and scurried out, closing the door behind them.

_Wow… I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that. I like her even more._

Celestia rubbed her ear slightly from the disturbance, obviously having been used to it, and turned back to the group with a smile.

"Now then, shall we?" she gestured once more. The entire group sat down and Samus pulled the arm chair up to the table. She crossed her legs and looked at the two princesses.

"So, are there any questions you may have about the meteor? I will have some questions for you as well before I tell you why I'm here, but I feel I owe everyone here some answers," Samus began. The others nodded.

"What exactly are we facing?" Celestia asked seriously. The others also looked to Samus who had a pensive look on her face, most likely attempting to find a way to explain.

"How many ponies have died since the blue poison reared its head?" she asked. The others were slightly taken aback by the bluntness of Samus's question. It obviously struck a chord with them.

"Before we came here, the death toll currently stands at around a hundred… and most likely to have risen," Luna replied. Samus nodded, uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her thighs and linking her hands together.

"The Blue Poison is known as Phazon, a vile material that spreads death and corruption wherever it finds itself. It originates from a meteor… and where that meteor came from, we cannot say. Physical contact with Phazon is enough to cause instantaneous death, and those are the lucky ones. Others will become horribly mutated. Afflicted individuals will slowly lose their sanity as the Phazon takes them over… they'll become more aggressive and violent as they sometimes sport mutations that seem to defy genetics. They will soon begin to hunger for the substance as if it was a drug, further inducing madness and enormous hostility until they succumb to the corruption. That is, of course, if they weren't killed by first contact," Samus explained, obviously having seen its effects. She shuddered internally at the Pirate Projects.

"What can we do to combat this threat?" Luna asked.

"You cannot combat the Phazon with other chemicals, or soldiers, or really anything. You can only contain it, and if my assumption is correct, you wouldn't seem as dire right now if magic had been working in any way to eradicate it, right?" Samus clarified. Celestia shook her head.

"No, simple force and destruction spells only serve to spread it even more, and sending the material to another dimension is enormously taxing on those who have magic prowess, yet this 'Phazon' still replaces itself," the white alicorn confirmed. The other ponies were just quietly listening to the conversation, not really having anything to put into it. Twilight, however, was fully vested in it and looked like she had some things to say.

"Like Princess Luna, I too have done my research and no record of this 'Phazon' exists in Equestria History or magical archives. If we can't destroy this substance, can we at least contain it?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, containment is very possible at the source, but that's about it. You'd need material that would be suitable for its storage and transportation. It appears large amounts of magic can do the job for transportation, but you'd need to transport it elsewhere for safe storage, and then again you'd also have to be aware that the impact site will still produce more Phazon," Samus explained.

"How is that even possible?" Twilight asked again.

"From my experience and investigations with the Galactic Federation, the entity of which is my current employer and where I formerly devoted myself to military service, point to the fact that these meteors have a 'core.' These cores are life-forms that are basic in nature and usually native to the planet that the meteor impacted on. These life-forms have undergone enormous Phazon corruption to the point where they are actually producing the Phazon itself. _They_ are the heart of it, and the meteor most likely latched on to a native creature or entity when it impacted. Actually, that's nearly certain since you say the Phazon is spreading. If that's how these meteors truly work, we cannot say, but it's the only theory we have to go by right now. Either way, if this 'core' is eliminated, all Phazon associated with it will dissipate."

"That settles it then! We shall search the impact area and rid our planet of this core element!" Luna proclaimed. Samus shook her head.

"Were it so easy. Although on a side note, you seem to have the answer to my main question: Where is the impact site?" the Hunter asked.

"The Frozen North, within about twenty miles of the Crystal Empire's borders," Celestia answered. Samus nodded in acknowledgement.

"Thank you, that was a problem solved. However, as I was saying, it will not be as easy as just marching into the impact site, combatting and eliminating the core element. The Phazon will most likely have corrupted other life-forms that will have to be eliminated as well. Also, there's the future issue of the Space Pirates," Samus began, being prepared to explain a great deal.

"Space Pirates?" Twilight, Celestia, and Luna asked at the same time.

"The Space Pirates are bipedal organisms like me, although they differ greatly in physical appearance. They're a war-mongering species that the Galactic Federation and I have been fighting for as long as I can remember. Their tactics are merciless and brutal, for they are responsible for the deaths of countless innocents. They search for ways to greater their species and ultimately defeat the Federation, and they have discovered one thing that has given them a possibly frightening advantage," Samus began explaining.

"Allow me to guess, the Phazon?" Luna asked.

"Indeed. I was on another planet known as Tallon IV and they had discovered the Phazon after a similar meteor strike annihilated other sentient elements, namely a race of bird-like creatures known as the Chozo. Upon investigating, the Pirates found the Phazon and began to use it as an energy source. It was successful, but then they noticed its horrific mutagen properties and began attempting to infuse it with other creatures as well as themselves."

The others began widening their eyes at the revelations; some even had hooves over their mouths.

"Many Pirates, of course, died. Others accepted a particular strain of Phazon and it successfully fused with their genetic code, creating violent and terribly corrupted versions of their already warlike selves. When I compromised their operations on Tallon IV, they discovered another planet, known as Aether, and attempted the same thing, harnessing the Phazon for their own nefarious purposes. After their bases of operations were destroyed there, I came here to head off the meteor crash before they inevitably come," Samus concluded. The mention of hostile invaders was enough to keep everyone silent, as they really had no idea how to respond to that. Samus took this opportunity to continue:

"This brings us to why I'm here. My mission is to head off the Space Pirate forward operations before they can cause any real damage, and believe me, they _will_ attempt to subjugate your population with extreme prejudice. Not only am I to eliminate their forward operations, but I'm also here to destroy this Phazon core and rid the planet of the substance. If it's gone, there's little point for the Pirates to be here other than to search for other means of energy."

"This Galactic Federation, are they able to provide any assistance?" Celestia asked.

"Yes. For once in a long time, I have full resources available to me should we need them and this includes materiel and weapons, as well as soldiers and other necessities," the Hunter confirmed.

"Very well. We have the Royal Guard as well as a few other standing forces but if what you say is true we may need all the help we can acquire, and we'd be most appreciative if you are able to provide," Luna confessed.

"My job is to aid in whatever way I can. I will, however, call for some supply drops as soon as I can; for I have a feeling we'll need them. As we progress further, I'll most likely call for forces as well."

"Most excellent. Then I believe that is all we needed to hear, as we have to deal with all the affairs that are coming of this calamity. We thank you for your service here and if you need anything, please feel free to let Twilight know. She will forward any requests to us, for it's the least we can do. You are more than welcome to stay in this town, Ponyville, and use it as your base of operations. Since we assume you arrived in a ship, a real bed may appeal to your tastes more, but of course, feel free to move any materials you may need," Celestia finished, standing up with Luna. All the other ponies plus the Hunter stood up as well.

"Thank you, and of course thank you all for your non-hostility towards me as well as for everything else. Normally I'd have to refuse your offer and I'd feel safer and more comfortable in my ship, but since there actually is a population, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to stay closer to those of importance, which if my instincts tell me anything, these six ponies are," Samus spoke with gratitude, motioning towards the Elements who had varying degrees of smiles and pensive looks on their faces. "Also, an actual bed sounds… kinda nice," Samus added. The Princesses smiled and Twilight jumped up at the opportunity:

"Samus, you can stay here if you like. This library is close to the center of this town and I'm in constant contact with the Princesses. I can reach them on a moment's notice and I have no problem resizing the bed and other amenities you may require," the lavender unicorn offered with a grin filled with gratitude. Samus couldn't understand right now how accepting they were of her, even offering her a place to stay outside of her ship.

"Very well, I'll accept your offer. Thank you, Twilight," the Hunter responded in kind. Twilight nodded in acknowledgement and Princess Celestia levitated something out of a bag she brought with her. Thy looked like scrolls.

"Then it's settled. Also, Samus, we feel you might find these useful," the white alicorn began as she placed the papers on the table in front of Samus. "They're maps of Ponyville as well as other major areas including the Crystal Empire and Frozen North. We feel you might have great use for these," she finished. Samus unrolled one of the scrolls to find a map of Ponyville beautifully cartographed. Samus grinned.

_Perfect…_

"These will do nicely. Thank you, Princesses," Samus responded with a small nod of gratitude and respect.

"Of course, but now, we must be off. Thank you once again and we hope to see you soon. We will update you on any knowledge or findings we come across immediately, so expect to hear from us often," Luna spoke as the two Princesses walked out the door. "Until then, everypony," she added before the door shut behind them. The remaining group all looked at each other.

"Well, since Samus is staying here, I better get to work on preparing the guest room with Spike. In the meantime, since it's getting later, why don't the five of you take Samus around the town so she can familiarize herself with her new 'base of operations?' Once that's done, it would probably be wise to move any things she might have to the Library. Is that okay with you, Samus?" Twilight asked. Samus thought for a bit.

_Well… it is getting later and I have little scan data that has been provided to me by Federation intelligence, or that my ship is picking up. To add on top of that, I have no idea where I'm going just yet and there is no sign of the Pirates… yet. As much as it goes against my philosophy I guess a relaxing tour of the area couldn't hurt. _

"Sure, that's a sound plan for the moment. I suppose it also would be beneficial to introduce the locals to my presence while many are still out," the Hunter agreed.

"Alright!" Rainbow Dash said a bit enthusiastically.

"YAY! Samus is staying with us!" Pinkie almost yelled out, bouncing up and down.

_A bit excitable… jeez. _

"Indeed, darlings. Now, let us be off, for we're burning sunlight," Rarity added, beginning to lead the way out of the door. Rainbow and Pinkie followed suit before Samus exited, followed by Applejack and Fluttershy.

_Extra support from the locals could only benefit me anyways. This will hopefully prove beneficial. _

Twilight giggled a bit as she watched her friends go with the Hunter in her company. It was always nice to see somepony, or some_body_ different being readily accepted, as was true to the ponies' nature. However, Twilight still couldn't help but worry for Equestria's future with these threats looming. For once, as an Element of Harmony, she felt somewhat useless since magic would have little effect right now.

In the end though, they've defeated threats without the elements, and this would be no different. With Samus's help, as well as whatever the Galactic Federation was, they'd overcome this with Equestria emerging stronger than ever.

Things would work themselves out as always.

"Right…?"

[hr]

**[Transmission Database]**

**[Compose New]**

**[To: Galactic Federation High Command | RE: Mission VK109H]**

**I've established a foothold on the planet and come into contact with sapient life forms of Equis. They are ponies and I've appeared to earn their trust for the time being, making the job easier. Transferring now is all scan data I have acquired, as well as my personal notes and experiences. Please review them. Also, requesting supply drop Class A. **

**Samus Aran**

**[Transmission Sent]**

[hr]

**[Incoming Transmission]**

**[From: Galactic Federation High Command | RE: Mission VK109H]**

**Data received and currently being reviewed. We will provide you with intelligence as it comes in. For now, stand by for two days and keep watch for any Pirate Activity. Aid in what you can against Phazon threats but do not take up your usual crusade just yet. **

**Offer your expertise to the Pony Leadership if at all requested. We will have several divisions of troops ready for deployment to Equis in a week's time and on standby around the clock. **

**Supply Drop request confirmed. **

**High Command**

**[End Transmission]**


	4. Discovery

**A/N: Hey guys! This is a new chapter and NOT backlogged. This chapter was also just published on fimfiction so you're all caught up :). Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Metroid: Equis**_

**Chapter 4**

**Discovery**

The Zero Suit-clad Huntress had been given the grand tour of her new base of operations, albeit with a few disruptions here and there but that didn't bother her too much… except when Rarity had attempted to take her measurements when they stopped temporarily at her boutique. Eventually, Samus had conceded although she felt very uncomfortable having her personal space invaded with measuring tape and hooves that were taking her, well, measurements; as well as asking her preferences in colors, special decorations, etc. if any. She survived, obviously, and now was finishing moving the last few things into the guest room in Twilight's library several hours later.

The bookworm had been rather generous in resizing the bed dimensions and it appeared to be a nice queen sized bed by human standards. Samus dropped a large bag of assorted things before taking a seat on the edge of the bed, giving the slightest hint of a smile at its softness and overall comfort. Satisfied, she stood up and equipped her Varia Suit for the moment. She then removed the helmet before unequipping the suit once more, leaving her with the physical helmet. She intended to do some reading and research on the scan data she collected before she slept that night, for it was imperative that she learn as much as she could about the planet and region as quickly as she could. For now though, it was barely getting into the early hours of the evening and it was necessary to unpack the few (by 'few,' she mean 'two') essentials she brought with her.

_Might as well get it done now._

Samus set her helmet aside and set to work. She first pulled out a small, tablet looking device. Her own personal logbook/journal, having recorded her travels, encounters, thoughts, etc. since the completion of her first mission on Zebes. She intended to write in it later tonight and set it down by her helmet.

The next thing she slid out was a medium sized metal case with the Galactic Federation Marine Corps insignia on it. Upon opening it revealed a GF Assault Rifle; a portable automatic weapon that fired medium sized motes of directed hard-light not unlike her standard Power Beam. Samus had taken into account when she had been shot down over Zebes and was unable to equip her Power Suit due to a malfunction, leaving her with merely her emergency Paralyzer Pistol. She wasn't too keen on repeating that incident should she be forced to abandon and/or be stranded without her suit again. As such, she felt an upgrade from an emergency Paralyzer to an emergency rifle was in order. She made sure it was deactivated and its safety was engaged before setting it back in the case and slipping it under the bed.

Once that was taken care of, Samus spaced out momentarily before a knock at the bedroom door brought her out of her stupor.

"Samus?

"Yes, Twilight?" the blonde-haired hunter responded.

"May I come in?"

"Yep."

The lavender unicorn opened the door and casually trot to the bedside where Samus sat. The hunter noted that she was bearing a small package on her back.

"A couple things Samus: One, Spike is making dinner and we would like to know if you'd like something to eat?" Twilight asked. Samus could tell that she was still ever so slightly nervous around her, although she was trying to be a good host. In all honesty the fair-skinned huntress was somewhat astounded that she still wasn't _completely_ mortified.

Before Samus could answer her stomach piped up, letting out a low growl. She only pursed her lips and let out a somewhat deadpanned sigh and stare to go along with it. Twilight couldn't help but giggle a bit while Samus nodded.

"That doesn't sound too bad… thanks for offering."

"Mhmm! Also, secondly…" Twilight began, levitating the small wrapped package from her back and presenting it to Samus. The Hunter softly took it with her right hand.

"Rarity just dropped this off for you," Twilight finished. Samus looked at it with a brow raised in surprise.

"I literally _just_ saw her three hours ago… and she's already made something for me?" she reinforced.

"She made the six of us Gala dresses in about five minutes whilst singing a song, so I'm not too surprised to be honest. She said it was only a small thing for now," Twilight responded. Samus pursed her lips again in thought before shrugging it off.

_Sure._

Twilight nodded and smiled a bit. "I'll leave you alone for now. Food will be ready in twenty, so feel free to drop by whenever you wish," the unicorn informed as she trot out the door, closing it behind her. Once again, Samus was left to her own devices and her curiosity was focused on the white tissue-wrapped package that was sealed like an envelope with a blue diamond trinity sticker. Sliding her finger under the adhesive, the Hunter flipped up the top of the paper and slid out the folded garments. The one on top, after holding it at arm's length and letting the creases undo themselves, was a short sleeved, blue shirt that matched the color of her Zero Suit. In the upper right breast area, she noted her distinctive Runes symbol perfectly sewed into the fabric.

The next article of clothing was a simple black pants design. Samus also noted the Runes on the left side rear pocket. Her mouth was ever so slightly agape as she traced lines on both garments… they looked brilliant!

_Wow… these look great!_

Being completely honest with herself, she really wanted to try them on. However, her Zero Suit was in the way. Since she'd be joining for dinner relatively soon, she thought it best to have a shower in the bathroom connected to her room… a _real_ shower.

_Now _that_ sounds pretty damn good right now…_

With little effort, the battle hardened warrior stripped out of her Zero Suit, let her hair down, and made her way to the bathroom, finding the sink and shower/tub a tad bit smaller than she'd be used to due to her size. She wore her usual stoic expression, just staring at the smaller tiled and porcelain amenity.

_I don't know what I was expecting._

She shrugged and decided to make do. She was going to take a nice, comfortable, and hot shower and that was final. She fiddled with the knobs until the temperature was perfect and she climbed in, having to hunch a bit in order to get her hair wet. Looking around, she found an assortment of shampoos, soaps, and other things to aid in the female pony cleaning process… whatever constituted to that. She quickly scanned some labels to ensure that nothing would destroy her hair, scalp, skin, or any combination of the three and set off to work.

[hr]

Exactly seventeen minutes later, Samus reemerged clad in a towel (although small on her) with a fairly relaxed expression on her face… relatively speaking. She was definitely a bit more at ease. She made sure she was completely dry before dropping the towel and reaching for the new clothes… that was until she made an interesting observation:

_Shit… there's no underwear._

It was more for the purposes of comfort and utility than it was for appearances. Samus's Zero Suit had supports and extra underlays in the necessary places which corresponded with certain parts of her anatomy, namely her breasts, crotch, and posterior. Samus decided against the clothes and reached for her Zero Suit again… until she spotted something else she didn't notice that was somewhat hanging out of the white package.

She picked up the questionable garment and examined it, finding what appeared to be a very basic blue bra. Upon a quick search, she found the accompanying blue panties, although the almost looked like very thin short-shorts rather than underwear. Either way, it fit the purpose beautifully and she couldn't really complain.

_Rarity, you clever pony…_

Within two minutes, she was fully dressed in her new clothes and she had to admit, they were extraordinarily comfortable. The sleeves and pant legs conformed to her figure almost perfectly, leaving little room for sagging of the fabric, yet they stretched and moved flawlessly with her body when she stretched and flexed in several places. Samus was pleased, and once again, she had the tiniest smidgeon of a grin on her face.

_I can definitely get used to this._

Samus didn't have proper footwear but that didn't bother her since she had no plans on going out into town on a leisurely stroll. In the end barefoot was her only choice. She emerged from her room and joined Twilight and Spike as they were setting the table. Twilight looked up and smiled.

"Glad you could join us, Samus!" she exclaimed, sitting down. Spike was carrying what looked like a large bowl of fruit salad as well as what looked like a same-sized bowl of vegetable soup. Samus had to admit it looked pretty good, even though there was no meat.

"Diggin' the look! Oh, and help yourself!" Spike offered after setting the food on the table. Samus didn't need to be told twice as she helped herself to a generous serving of the fruit salad and nearly filled her bowl with the soup. With that, dinner began and light but pleasant conversation was had as they enjoyed… and Samus was particularly enjoying herself. She hadn't eaten freshly prepared _real_ food in quite a while. Breaks between missions where she could visit Federation planets weren't as common as she'd like. On missions or in the field, her diet consisted of mainly MREs that had the essentials her body needed to soldier on. Nothing particularly satisfying considering the taste or enjoyment factor but she made do.

"Ahhh…" Samus commented as she dropped her rather small spoon in the bowl and pushing it away. "Now _that_ was good. Thanks, you two," she finished. She never thought she'd be able to stuff herself with fruit and soup, but once again, her thoughts were proven wrong.

"No problem, Sammy," Spike replied back, to which Samus turned to him with a stoic face.

"Don't call me that."

"Okay."

"So, how was your first ummm… 'day' here?" Twilight asked somewhat awkwardly.

"It was interesting to say the least… and definitely a new experience. I have a couple days to just familiarize myself with everything before I go to work so, it's going alright, I suppose."

"That's good… but if I may ask a question…" Twilight began.

"You may."

"You've seen this type of thing before no doubt, with the meteor and what not, right?" Samus nodded. "What are your thoughts on _our_ situation?" the lavender unicorn asked. Samus thought for a moment on how to answer that question.

"To be completely honest, you're lucky. As I said before, we caught this meteor impact almost immediately, so overall damage has been limited so far, last time I heard. However, make no mistake that your entire planet is in danger until we can locate and destroy the core… easier said than done. Many will die before this is all over," Samus spoke, calmly and collectedly. Twilight took her response in and simply nodded.

"Yeah, I know. But I also know we'll get through this! The girls and I have helped save Equestria on many occasions… but I'm not so sure how useful the Elements of Harmony will be against this… Phazon/core/threat thing."

"Elements of Harmony?" Samus asked, raising her brow.

"Oh, right… hehe let me fill you in a bit on the details of some recent history," Twilight offered, to which Samus turned her body to listen. Spike promptly excused himself.

Twilight proceeded to fill the Hunter in on information from Equestria's more recent history regarding Nightmare Moon and who she really was, Luna's redemption by forcing the Nightmare from her body via the Elements, the history with Discord and the incidents involving him, and finally the Changeling Invasion and the Crystal Empire incident. It was a lot to take in but Twilight was able to condense the material enough to where Samus could follow along, becoming less and less surprised at each turn of events. After all, this was some good information for the blonde-haired Hunter to know. And these powerful 'Elements of Harmony' could prove _very_ useful in the end.

To help follow up on the subject, Twilight gave Samus a few books on Equestrian History and the Elements of Harmony (which, she remembered, were under 'E') so she could scan the information into her logbook. From there, the two retired to their respective rooms for the night, allowing Samus to read and log information at her own pace. Eventually, she removed her helmet and placed it on the nightstand next to her, ready to let the soft grasp of sleep take her from her first day on Equis.

[hr]

…

_"A-are you...Mr. Ridley? I-I'm Samus, th-three years old. You're not scary...I'm perfectly fine...E-even if you look different...W-we can still be friends...!" _

_In truth, Samus was scared… terrified even. But she attempted to apply the lesson given to her by Old Bird. _

"_Samus! NO!" Virginia exclaimed, taking the brunt of the blow that Ridley meant for Samus, slicing her own mother in half right before her very eyes. _

Samus opened her eyes and inhaled a bit sharply as she woke with a start. She quickly regained control of her breathing and pursed her lips, sighing almost out of annoyance.

_Damn dream. _

She had a bit of sweat on her brow which she promptly wiped off. She had this dream before… countless times for that matter. Since she lived on Zebes with her Chozo caretakers, that particular nightmare haunted her to the point where now, she merely dealt with it rather than being terrified to sleep and relive the horrors.

However, she noted that the dream lasted a lot longer than that, which led her to believe that something disturbed her slumber. This was answered when her helmet, which was sitting on the nightstand next to the bed, lightly glowed on the visor, accompanied by a very familiar audio:

"**Data Received."**

_It's too early for the Federation to have sent me orders… guess my ship picked something up._

Samus took a quick look outside. It was dark, save for the rather bright moon which was high in the sky. Her suspicions were confirmed when the clock in the room read half-passed midnight. She had fallen asleep a bit early due to the traveling, which made sense. She rubbed her eyes before sitting up and grabbing her helmet, placing it on her head and being greeted by the familiar notification. The helmet instinctively began to display information:

"**Unusual energy fluctuations detected. Spikes are consistent with magical properties. Investigation suggested."**

_Energy spikes. That's original._

Samus pressed a command on the side of her helmet, confirming the notification and prompting more information. Her display switched to a map of her current location, the _Golden Oaks Library_, and subsequently changed scenery, zooming out of the Ponyville area. The map data then scrolled over to the Everfree before zooming in and ultimately stopping and blinking on a sector known as "_Hall of the Patriarch._" It was obviously unexplored in her map data and it was illuminated with a large question mark. From first glance on her map, it looked pretty massive.

_Maybe it's time to go sightseeing._

In quick, fluid motions, Samus's normal clothes came off, her Zero Suit went on, and she took her helmet off before equipping her Varia Suit. When that was done, she slipped the helmet under her right arm; gently leaving her bedroom and exiting out of the front door of the library, careful not to wake either Twilight or Spike. Once she closed the front door, she slipped her helmet on and started strolling towards the edge of town.

_Hey, guess I was going for a stroll…_

Upon reaching the edge of town, there was a small hill that shadowed a tiny field which ultimately led to the Everfree. Samus stood on said hill and just admired the night sky while also staring out towards the forest itself, just spacing out a bit. At least, that's what she was doing until she sensed something land diagonally behind her.

"You sensed it too?" the Princess of the Night inquired, softly trotting to Samus's side.

"I didn't 'sense' it per say. Scans seem to indicate magical fluctuations somewhere in the Everfree. I'm sure magical anomalies are rather common here but this seemed odd enough for my systems to recommend an investigation," Samus spoke, not turning towards Luna.

"True, magical spikes are not uncommon, but what you stated was an 'anomaly.' By definition, that's a deviation from the common rule, so therefore, unusual, and consequently, my curiosity is piqued," Luna replied. Samus nodded in understanding before craning her head slightly towards Luna.

"If this is so interesting, why are you only here? Where's Celestia? I inferred from our meeting that you two were conjoined at the flank," Samus asked with a hint of sarcasm, although she was proud of her correct word usage. Luna giggled a bit.

"So it would seem, but not quite. I was only up because our meeting required the both of us due to importance. Celestia currently is asleep, and I reign during the night," Luna explained. Samus nodded slightly again.

_Makes sense._

She then turned her attention back to the Lunar Alicorn.

"Any idea where it's coming from… or what?"

"Hard to tell. Chances are the magic emanates from one of the many temples and ruins that adorn areas of the Everfree. They all emit their own magical aura as many serve as the home for relics and the deceased of great magical power. Thus, tracking the source could prove difficult," Luna explained. "You said your scanners picked up this spike… did you receive any other information?" she asked.

"According to my maps and the system's sensors, the source is an area known as the _Hall of the Patriarch_," Samus replied. Luna visibly straightened up with wide eyes.

"Then I know where our destination lies," Luna said as she spread her wings and hunched her lower back down, looking at Samus expectantly.

"Ummm… Luna?"

"Flying will be much faster than walking, will it not? And if my assumptions are accurate, you are not capable of unaided flight. Therefore, climb on. And worry not, I'm much stronger than I look," Luna explained and beckoned. Samus had a disbelieving look on her face behind the visor. She, herself, was a rather _larger_ woman by height and muscular physique standards, standing at a little over six feet and weighing a bit less than 200 pounds _without_ her armor. Naturally her Varia Suit added a fair (generous use of the word) amount of extra weight to her.

Luna did have a point though: flying would be faster than walking. So, to remedy possible issues, Samus deactivated her Suit for the purpose of flight.

_Fair enough._

Samus walked over and carefully slid onto Luna's back, gripping her neck in the appropriate place and securing her legs. When both parties were satisfied of the developments, Luna spoke out:

"Very well, let us be off. Do hold on!"

Luna spread her wings (Samus admired her wingspan for some odd reason) and lunged from her sitting position into the sky, letting her wings take her from there. Luna had little difficulty adjusting to the extra weight on her back and they flew with great speed over the forest. Samus had to admit that she'd never see herself riding a magical alicorn through the night… although her pride refused to let her admit that she was enjoying the experience.

After about ten minutes, Luna banked left and gently descended into the forest canopy. Samus was able to make out what looked like the tops of some structures under the massive trees and noted their position to where they eventually touched down. Samus promptly hopped off Luna's back and equipped her Varia Suit once more.

"Well… that was an interesting experience," Samus spoke up. Luna smirked a bit.

"So I've heard from others as well. Come, let us move," the Lunar Alicorn responded, leading the way and Samus falling into step. Normally, Samus would shun having company immediately, but since this was Luna's domain, she felt that she'd have little choice that Luna wanted to tag along. Samus worked alone, but having an ally that was more than capable of protecting themselves was not an issue. Soon enough, the two passed through the last set of trees before entering into a large clearing in the forest; giving way to a rather large looking, ancient temple.

_Always the temples… always. _

"Any idea what this place is?" Samus asked.

"This is Nightshade Temple, the shrine of King Lunarius: former ruler of our Moon and the Night, as well as Celestia's and my father."

"I see. Well, either way, let's take a look inside, shall we?" Samus asked rhetorically. Luna nodded and trot slightly ahead of Samus as they made their way to the large entrance of the temple. Upon entering, Luna lit her horn to provide directed light to help improve vision, more so for her rather than Samus, as the Hunter easily switched to her Thermal Visor. Samus kept her cannon at a semi-passive level, being ready for anything, even though she could sense that nothing was really stirring in the halls of the long abandoned shrine.

"It has been centuries since I have walked these halls…" Luna mentioned softly, taking in the sights of the busts, pillars, and obelisks that would randomly adorn the sides as she illuminated them. Many were the statues of what looked like Alicorn soldiers long passed; silently watching over the shrine of their deceased leader for all of eternity. Samus was likening everything to the structure of Chozo temples and ruins… to her, they weren't so different. However, something caught Samus's eyes:

"Looks like we've got some writing here…" she stated, touching the glyphs in the walls as she began scanning it. Luna walked over as well. Samus read the translation out loud:

"**Recorded to Logbook."**

**[Pony Lore]**

**Translation: And so it is with great sorrow that we enshrine the creator of our moon within these walls. Yet even in death, he shall watch over our very beings with the just and iron hoof that he ruled unto us. Even when our race is no more, his blood and influence shall remain.**

"So you can read old Equestrian with that helmet of yours? I am most impressed," Luna added with a smirk.

"I find that reading and logging Lore tends to help me later down the line. Speaking of which, there's another set of glyphs. Do you mind?" Samus asked rhetorically. Luna had no intention of denying her anyway, gesturing with her hoof towards the writing.

"**Recorded to Logbook."**

**[Pony Lore]**

**Translation: Lunarius has become feeble and weak. His time with us in this realm dwindles, yet he is not afraid. He greets death like a friend of the Empire, and with reassurance from the Visitors he is ready to leave Equestria in the care of his own two blood offspring and pass on to the spirit realm forever more. **

"In case you weren't able to infer, these writings go back in time… in a manner of speaking," Luna added.

"I was able to see that. However, I'm more curious about these… Visitors," Samus spoke, moving further down the hall and finding the next set of glyphs.

"I was too young to know at the time, even when Celestia and I took the throne. They had come long before we were around and father never spoke much of them. By the time we had enough sense to attempt to find them, they were gone… leaving only ruins and echoes behind," Luna replied. Samus raised a brow slightly.

_Just like the…_

She shook her head internally. It couldn't have been.

_This one's gonna be a long read._

"**Recorded to Logbook."**

**[Pony Lore]**

**Translation: Tall, powerful, warrior-like Visitors from beyond our sky have descended upon our land, offering peace and valuable information, requesting exploration and temporary residence. Our Great Leader sensed truth within their intentions and offered them asylum. In return, this race of beings more powerful than our own showed us great techniques in the magical arts, manipulating our very essence to serve our greater purpose, while instructing on building techniques for lasting structures to wh-**

**~break in writing~**

…**ime had passed, and Lunarius inquired the great Visitors as to the future of Equestria. Their wise leader spoke of a Great Poison that would descend upon our land thousands of cycles in the future, snuffing out all life that dares attempt to hinder or stop it. Yet, they also spoke of a Great Warrior and Protector who would ultimately come to the future generation's aid and vanquish the Poison for eternity. **

Samus slowly lowered her hand from the side of her Helmet, still staring at the writing on the wall. Luna herself had a look of great thinking on her face. She turned to the Hunter.

"Samus…"

"We need to get to the Hall of the Patriarch. How far are we?" Samus said, interrupting the Lunar Princess.

"Just down this way," Luna replied, leading the way. Samus followed and they soon ended up by a very large door that was sealed, but had no physical means of getting through. None of Samus's weaponry would be able to breach either, according to her scans.

"So, how do we get through?" Samus asked.

"It's a magical seal. Allow me," Luna replied as she charged her horn brighter and let an aura seep out, diffusing over the enormous stone door until it sunk in as if pulled by an unseen force. At that moment, Luna ceased her magic and there was a great rumbling echoing throughout the hall. The door slowly slid open, revealing an enormous hall, which Samus's map indicated was the correct place. The hall was apparently lit with torches, which appeared to be undying magic of some sort (Samus only inferred). In the center lay a sarcophagus of stone adorned with precious metals and gems. However, what really caught Samus's eye was the design on the wall behind it.

"They had said something about the Visitors adorning art within father's tomb. They said it would protect his body and spirit," Luna chimed in, walking to Samus's side to examine what she was seeing. Samus, on the other hand, was just staring at the artwork which consisted of a large, bipedal bird-like elder with his arms outstretched in perfect symmetry with the sarcophagus. On both sides of that were bird-like and Alicorn soldiers in mixed formation. That artwork… Samus felt as if she was back in the Ruins on Zebes.

"You know these Visitors… don't you, Samus?" Luna asked knowingly, connecting the dots. Samus nodded softly.

"The Chozo… they came to you…" Samus replied, although that was more of thinking out loud. The Hunter was processing this in her head. In the end, although rather different, the Ponies and Samus were more connected than she could have ever thought possible: The Chozo had assisted them in their development as a society for who knew how long. Luna was observing Samus as much as she could through her visor. She decided it was a good time to bring this up:

"I saw your dream." Samus turned slowly towards the Princess.

"You… what?" she asked in confirmation.

"As Princess of the Night I may enter the dreams of my subjects and those under my dominion, temporary or not. I had no intention of entering yours at first but your mind was under great stress." She turned towards the Chozo paintings. "I apologize for the great intrusion, but I have learned a great deal about you as a result. I am so sorry for your loss, and what you had to experience. I lost my mother at a very young age as well… although I suspect that is of little consolation."

Luna turned to face the Hunter who was just staring at her.

"However, with a bit of my magic and your Helmet picking up these fluctuations, your dream was able to come to an end before I was able to see more. I will not forget what I saw there, mind you. That image will haunt me for quite some time… as I am sure it continues to plague you. But my initial question that was to stem from this is: these Visitors… these Chozo… they were your guardians, were they not?" Luna asked. Samus turned away and back towards the artwork.

"Yes. They took care of me, infused me with their blood, and raised me to what I am today. They are… were my second family," Samus admitted plainly. She wasn't accustomed to talking about this with _anyone_. However, she never let the past bother her much anymore. Luna nodded.

There wasn't much else to say at this point and Luna knew that. Samus's attention was grabbed though when she found more glyphs under the Chozo Elder. What was different was that this writing was in fact, Chozo. Samus opened her scan visor and scanned:

**You have come.**

Samus blinked a couple of times and suddenly the Sarcophagus began to open behind them; the top of it slowly sliding downward. The Hunter and Princess turned around and eyed event a bit before glancing at each other and walking over. Luna had already inferred that whatever Samus had done just now was correlated to her and only her… even if it was opening the sarcophagus of her dead father.

Once the pair reached the now open sarcophagus there was a faint glowing inside. Soon, small motes of light from around the room began to condense into a glowing mass in front of them before lightly exploding outwards; leaving a spinning object that looked like an outstretched hand. Samus looked to Luna, who also looked on in awe, before the alicorn nodded and stepped backwards a bit, leaving Samus to do her thing. With that, Samus reached out and gently 'grabbed' the floating object, which promptly defragmented and diffused around Samus's left arm. The Hunter watched as her armor-clad arm glowed with great power as it absorbed into it before trailing down to her Grapple Beam. The appendage glowed bright teal several times before any remnant light exploded outwards, dissipating.

**[Scanning…]**

**[Kinesis Beam Acquired!]**

**Pure, ancient magic has augmented your Grapple Beam. At the cost of energy units, the Grapple Beam may now be treated as a magical conduit, allowing you to manipulate matter much like a unicorn through its use. **

"What happened?" Luna inquired, seeing that the process had finished.

"Well, apparently I can now use magic… in a sense," Samus replied, seeming a bit intrigued herself. Luna even expressed curiosity.

"Is that so? Well, test it out!" Luna added, curious to see what Samus's 'magic' would be like. The Hunter found a small stone on the ground about ten feet away from her and lifted her arm towards it. Remembering back from how she witnessed her Chozo caretakers use their powers, Samus concentrated on the stone and let her Grapple Beam fire up… soon she felt almost a mental tug from the object. The Beam appendage glowed in totality a light blue color much like any magical aura. Then the rock became adorned with a similar aura. With that, Samus moved her arm linearly and the stone moved accordingly. She was able to pick it up and move it before tossing it away. Although the power emanated from her Grapple Beam and ultimately her Suit's energy, the mental connection that it was somehow able to forge with her was a bit taxing, as it was her first time using it.

"Impressive, especially for a non-magic user. You'll need more practice though if you wish to make that effective," Luna said, complementing her ability to levitate a small stone, but observing that her form was faltering during the process... still even surprised that the Human was able to acquire the ability of magic! Samus nodded.

_Well, that was a _really_ interesting experience. _

"Wait… something's odd. My map and scans still show fluctuations of energy here," Samus remarked, checking her map data.

"I sense it too…" Luna began, flaring her horn to try and magically track it. "And it seems it's still coming from the sarcophagus… huh," she said as she walked to the edge of her father's final resting place. Samus looked on as Luna removed the shroud, revealing the skeletal remains of the Great Alicorn; in its bony hooves, another spherical object of pure energy and magic. Its aura was very strong, yet it was repelling Luna's magic as she attempted to go near it.

"This magic is not of Alicorn doing, and as such, it's repelling my own. It is your Chozo, who appeared to have left you another gift," Luna inferred. Samus took the hint and reached out, cupping the object and letting it consequently diffuse into her suit. It found her Arm Cannon and absorbed into it. Her cannon lit up brightly but then it died out suddenly. Samus and Luna glanced at each other with a confused expression (although the Hunter's couldn't be seen).

**[Scanning…]**

**.**

**.**

"Well?" Luna asked.

"My systems are still scanning…" Samus replied.

**[Unknown Item Acquired]**

**Analysis inconclusive. Item not compatible with current suit. **

_Oh great. _This_ again. _

"Apparently whatever that was, was the source of the energy spikes here but it's incompatible with my suit right now," Samus informed Luna.

"Hmmm… Interesting. We will have to run some tests later then and see if we cannot unlock these abilities for you," Luna offered. The two then turned back towards the door in which they came, only to have it slowly close and seal itself.

"What? What is the meaning of this!?" Luna shouted out while lightly charging her horn. Samus raised her Arm Cannon and looked around the room for any sign of trouble, ready for combat.

Soon, however, the torches in the room dimmed to a very low level. The Chozo and Alicorn paintings on the wall began to glow a very odd white, static-like appearance. The odd pair noticed this and turned around, horn and cannon aimed at the wall in a semi-aggressive stance. The torches almost went out at this point, a bone-chilling hissing sound permeated through the hall, and the textures on the wall separated from the paintings, floating in the air as no form of matter before a physical form emerged; several forms of Chozo and Alicorn apparitions landing on the ground.

"Chozo Ghosts…" Samus thought out loud.

"Alicorn Spirits…" Luna spoke as well.

They glanced at each other and nodded; the Hunter aiming her cannon and the Lunar Princess charging her horn, aiming it at the aggressive entities.


	5. A First

_**Metroid: Equis**_

**Chapter 5**

**A First **

The Lunar Princess and Armor-clad Huntress had their respective horn and cannon aimed at the potential adversaries: the Chozo and Alicorn specters; waiting for the slightest aggressive movement as the entities stared the two down with their 'eyes.'

_This isn't right… the Chozo ghosts only attacked me because of Phazon corruption. It hasn't spread this far yet!_

Luna, however, was having different thoughts as she lit her horn up brighter:

_Even the ghosts may succumb to the corruption of dark magic._

Samus fell back on her instinct… and what was the first thing she always did when confronted with a potentially threatening enemy?

**[Recorded to Logbook]**

**[Morphology: Alicorn Spirit]**

**[Spectral Entity of Alicorn warriors deceased. **

**Alicorn Spirits are very similar to Chozo ghosts in the sense that they will mercilessly defend sacred artifacts and shrines. They are invulnerable to all weaponry, **_**including**_** your Power Beam. Their presence was artificially created through enchantment of their deceased bodies via magic, and as such, only magic may banish them from the mortal realm. **

**Warning: Large presence of aggressive magic potential detected. Exercise extreme caution.]**

All she needed to know, although the magic addendum posed a problem. Luna, however, was quick to the solution:

"Samus, you deal with your Chozo ghosts. I'll take the Alicorn Spirits," Luna stated, spreading her legs into a fighting stance and lightly trotting side to side. Soon, the 'arms' and 'horns' of the entities began to glow; a sight both Samus and the Lunar Princess were fairly acquainted with. With great speed, both dashed in opposite directions and avoided the spectral bolts of hard magic and energy sent their way, seeking immediate cover behind random obelisks and pillars situated within the room.

After the initial volley, both Luna and Samus leaned out from their cover and returned fire, the Hunter rapid-firing her power beam and striking two of the three Chozo ghosts a couple of times, damaging them and sending them phasing out of the immediate space. Luna had been firing teal motes of hard magic much like Samus's Power Beam save for the color and composition. Samus only had a moment to admire the Alicorn's warrior-like precision in hitting her targets before the Spirits themselves phased out of existence. Luna quickly turned to Samus in the few second lull in the battle:

"Have you any form of assisted vision for such a scenario?" Luna asked. Samus only nodded and switched to her X-Ray visor, the very familiar beeps and workings of it resonating in her ears. Luna nodded back and her eyes shown a bright teal, augmenting her vision as well for the purpose. Samus spied the elusive ghosts and stepped out of her cover, firing continuously and in enormously rapid succession, following up with a missile launch. The one targeted ghost was overwhelmed and the missile struck it hard, ending its proverbial life as it phased out of the known universe for good. Luna had been concentrating her hard-magic fire on one of the spirits that dared get close to her, stunning it enough for her to magically bind it in her aura and pull its essence apart, undoing the enchantment and sending the first of three Alicorn spirits to the realm in which it belonged.

The first two victories warranted a counter attack from the aggressive spirits as they launched hard magic and hard energy back towards the duo. Samus jumped and rolled to the side, expertly avoiding two blasts from the remaining Chozo ghosts, who promptly repositioned themselves. However, what Samus didn't account for was the Alicorn spirit that set its 'sights' on her. As she came out of the roll, she suddenly felt her entire form bound by an unknown force, completely unable to move and being suspended in the air. She suddenly felt enormous constriction on her torso.

**[WARNING! WARNING!]**

**[Varia Suit bound by unknown force! Severe damage imminent!]**

"Samus!" Luna shouted, directing her aura towards her and surrounding her suspended form. Luna's magic countered and subsequently undid the Spirit's own binding force, freeing Samus and letting her drop to the floor, breathing a bit harder than normal combat adrenaline should allow. The Spirit promptly escaped before Luna could go on the offensive, quickly jumping to her right to avoid a few hard magic projectiles. Samus quickly scurried to cover to check herself, checking her surroundings and warding off the two Chozo Ghosts momentarily.

"Samus, are you alright?" Luna called out from across the room.

"Y-yeah! That was a… new sensation," Samus commented back. She then charged her power beam and leaned out of cover, releasing the enormous ball of directed light towards a Ghost that was readying its own attack, striking it hard, before Samus unleashed another torrent of Power Beam rounds. One more missile finished the job, vanquishing the entity for eternity. She charged her beam once more before she felt something grab ahold of her midsection, startling her out of her stupor, and slamming her into the next obelisk over.

**[Damage received. Defensive shielding: 72%]**

**[Varia Suit Integrity: Normal]**

The notifications flooded Samus's periphery with valuable information as she righted herself, rolling to the side and avoiding another blast from the remaining Ghost. Checking her surroundings quickly, Luna was keeping the Alicorn Spirits' full attention. She flipped up back onto her feet and located the last Chozo Ghost, charging her beam once more.

_I don't have time to deal with this. Another realm awaits you._

The Hunter aimed her cannon at the repositioning Ghost, however, the barrel lit up brighter before an enormous sound erupted from the cannon, a Super Missile being launched towards the remaining entity and striking it with merciless force. The Charged beam portion of the Missile Combination struck the ghost first as it separated from the missiles, the latter projectiles firing off in random directions before seeking their target once more. The final detonation of the missiles obliterated the deceased Chozo warrior's spirit, sending it to eternal peace. Samus quickly looked over to find Luna still engaged with the remaining Alicorn Spirits, her horn seeming to do endless work as it was firing constantly and attempting to grab one of the elusive and aggressive spirits. Samus dashed into cover.

"Luna, the Chozo Ghosts have been dealt with. How do you suggest I fight these things?" Samus called out in inquiry, not really being used to asking another how to combat an enemy. Samus had faced many enemies; enemies that were smaller than her to forty-times her size. She fought Plated Beetles. She fought Ridley many times. She fought Emperor Ing and Metroid Prime. Yet none of them had the apparent ability to bind her 'magically,' rendering Samus nigh completely defenseless. Samus had been afraid of many things in her struggles. To say she faced her enemies without fear would be lying. If she were to die at any moment, she would go down fighting. However, the thought of not being able to fight before her demise truly terrified her to some degree. She _needed_ a way to fight magic.

"I'll do my best to override their magic if they bind you…" Luna began to say, ducking her head back into cover before returning fire and using a force spell to push the spirits away, unable to get a proper binding on one of them. "… but if I cannot, you need to use your new abilities to mentally counter their hold as best you can!" she finished. Samus nodded, as that was a way to _defend_ herself.

"But what about to _fight them_, Luna?!" Samus yelled back somewhat impatiently, shooting a few rounds of her power beam towards the Spirits but feeling frustrated as the rounds phased right through them or were deflected entirely.

"You need to _bind_ them with your magic as they do yours, then pull their essence apart!" Luna replied, dashing to alternate cover as she strafed the ghosts. "But your magic isn't potent enough, Samus!" Luna reminded her. The Hunter knew this well, but Samus was not going to be the useless one in this fight. She bounded over her cover and quickly slid to another downed obelisk in closer proximity to Luna. Checking that their attention was still on the greater threat, Samus concentrated diligently and fired up her Kinesis beam. The new conduit for magical energy in the grapple beam glowed a light blue and the somewhat weak magical aura enveloped one of the Spirits, which immediately began struggling. The tug on Samus's mind was _enormous_ as a result.

"Luna! Bind it now!" Samus ordered, sweat starting to pour down her face as the Alicorn spirit struggled. Luna forced the second remaining one away and was able to bind the trapped one just as it broke free of Samus's hold. Samus cried out as her grasp was broken, feeling overly taxed mentally at the new sensation and let Luna do her work, searching for the sole remaining spirit.

Luna's magic held on tightly as she slowly undid the magical enchantments on the spirit, theoretically pulling it apart. The Alicorn Spirit was struggling enormously, slowing the process dramatically and Luna could only hope that Samus was able to keep the other spirit at bay lest said process of denaturizing be interrupted. Luna deduced that this Spirit belonged to that of a _very_ powerful warrior with gargantuan willpower.

While Luna was doing her work, Samus came across the last spirit, however, it had repositioned out of her sight several times before coming to a halt several feet in front of her. Samus rolled to the side and stuck her arm out, activating her Kinesis once more and attempting to bind the spirit. However, the attack on the last Alicorn Spirit had left its mark on her and her mind simply couldn't hold the spell properly. She huffed and puffed, panting and yelling out as she attempted to keep it subdued but to no avail. The spirit broke free and initiated its own hold on her, suspending her several feet in the air. Luna could sense Samus was in trouble but denaturing the second Spirit was almost complete.

"Samus! Fight it! Fight with all you can muster and override its magic!" Luna commanded.

And fight she did. Samus mustered what energy she could to pour into her mental capacity to cast the counter-spell. She was seeing colors as she yelled out through gritted teeth. Her grapple beam lit up enormously but the Spirit only increased its hold. Soon enough, her Kinesis flickered and died out, Samus being drained completely. A ghastly hiss came from the spirit as it sensed no more fight from the Hunter, slamming her into the ground before swinging its head and casting her into another obelisk.

"Samus!" Luna yelled out in concern and some anguish, feeling a rush of guilt for not being able to help her. If she stopped the magic reversal the Spirit could effectively 'rebuild' itself and that would create a larger problem.

_Just… a little bit more…!_

Samus was breathing laboriously, her ears were ringing from the impact, and the mental taxation was leaving her physically drained. In her moment of disorientation, the spirit materialized next to her and bound her once more, this time constricting her midsection with enormous magical force. Her suit's warnings were ceasing to end as they flooded her visor one after the other, yet she was powerless to stop them, even as she attempted one last time to counter the binding. She could feel parts of the metal bending in ways they shouldn't, as well as a distinct metallic 'snapping' sound that chilled her disoriented form to the core; yet the warnings and notifications kept scrolling through her visor as it began to form some static after each one.

**[WARNING! WARNING!]**

**[Suit Integrity Compromised!]**

**[Shield Generator Damaged! Shielding Offline!]**

**[Critical Damage to Weapons Systems! Failsafe Activated! Arm Cannon Offline!]**

**[Ammunition Storage Ruptured! Missile Launcher Destroyed!]**

**[Unknown Item Lost!]**

**[Suit Critically Compromised! Emergency Abandonment Strongly Recommended!] **

**[Power Supply Damaged!]**

The list continued on before the Spirit smacked her into the ground once more and threw her into another obelisk right as Luna finished and intervened, binding the Spirit. She poured all her magic could and proceeded to quickly denature the spirit, as it's confrontation with Samus had taken most of its attention. Soon, the last of the Spirits was terminated for good.

"Samus!" Luna called out once more to the prone form of the Hunter. Galloping over, Luna could see that Samus was alive, that much she had no concern over. However, her battle armor was compromised in several locations; her Arm Cannon appeared to have a fracture through the middle, and other parts of her suit appeared to have taken a fair amount of damage from the constriction spell.

Samus groaned as her vision clouded. She felt her form being turned over onto her back and she could make out her name being called.

"Samus! You're going to be alright! Stay with me okay?!" Luna yelled to her face attempting to garner her attention before she most likely passed out. Luna began charging her horn and casting an unknown spell on Samus.

_Uhhh… I-I got my ass handed to me by a spirit?_

Her thoughts were also cloudy and disoriented both from the premature mental taxation due to the magic usage as well as the beating she received from the Alicorn Spirit. She could barely make out what Luna was saying. Yet, even in her mind, her pride was still somewhat wounded.

_Magic… Goddamn… you…_

That was the last thought Samus had before she let the darkness take over and she slipped from consciousness.

* * *

Samus had a dreamless sleep and to be completely honest, she really had no idea how long she was out. It could have been days for all she knew, but yet it only felt like she received a ten minute nap. Soon, she began to hear voices around her. She felt her eyelids flutter and she eventually opened her eyes, revealing her blues to the white room. The first thing she noticed, however, was that she was in quite the lot of pain all around her midsection from her breasts down to her mid-abdomen. As she attempted the subtlest of moves she involuntarily elicited a hiss of pain. Her eyes also hurt a bit due to the light flooding the room. It was obviously sometime in the morning.

"She's awake!" a voice gently, yet with an alerting tone called out. Samus could hear foot (or hoof) steps surround the bed that she apparently was on.

"Samus? Can you hear us?" a voice asked softly. With a bit of thinking, the Hunter recognized it as Twilights.

"Y-yeah…" Samus replied softly. She was able to sit herself up but hissed in pain the entire way. That cleared up her vision pretty fast although she still felt a bit groggy.

"Woah there, don't exert yourself just yet…" Luna stated, trotting to her side. A quick look around revealed that Twilight, Luna, and Fluttershy were in the room surrounding her.

"Where am I?" Samus asked, figuring that was a logical question.

"Ponyville Hospital Emergency Room. We enlisted the help of Fluttershy and Twilight after I was able to evacuate you from the shrine and the forest. Fluttershy provided medical care that helped sustain further injury before we brought you here," Luna explained, concern evident in her ever stoic voice. Some things didn't add up though.

"What happened to my Varia Suit?" she asked, now just realizing that she wasn't in either her Varia or Zero Suit.

"I found a physical 'Emergency Suit Abandonment' command on your helmet after a quick look on it, as that posed a problem. As I'm sure you're aware, your Suit fell to pieces off of your body as a result. I sent an emergency magic communication to Celestia and Twilight about what had transpired before teleporting the pieces to the Library. Your suit is safe, albeit quite damaged," Luna explained again. Samus sighed internally at the news that her suit was safe. She'd have to take it to her ship to get it repaired but that wouldn't be a difficult task. She was more concerned that this was the first time she actually got beaten so bad that she lost consciousness _and_ her suit had to be abandoned.

"I just… I can't fathom that I was…" Samus began to formulate proper words. Twilight, however, was able to infer based on what she was told:

"Defeated so easily?"

"I'd opt for 'beat the living shit out of.'" Samus rectified as she went deep in thought. She and Ridley had some _nasty _battles, but none really left her in that condition. She got screwed up by a _ghost_. But not just any ghost… a _magical_ ghost.

"Well, there's a first time for everything I suppose, right?" Twilight asked. Samus only turned to her with a look that spoke volumes of wounded pride and promises of hurt. Twilight nervously giggled and backed up a bit.

"It is clear that you haven't experienced a foe with any sort of 'binding force' capabilities. As a result, it is necessary that you train your new abilities in the magical arts as soon as your Varia Suit is repaired. Celestia, Twilight, and I will instruct you in said magical arts to ensure that this doesn't happen again," Luna informed. Samus nodded before losing herself in her own thoughts. She knew this would be essential, but the thought of her becoming a student like her days in the Academy weren't too appealing, and her pride took another bit of a hit.

"I realize that this may be demeaning for you, but it is absolutely necessary that you are able to harness the power that may very well be used against you," Twilight spoke up once more.

"Yes, I'm very well aware of that," Samus replied a bit irritably, mostly due to her stomach, which, upon lifting the blanket, found that it was quite bruised all over.

"On another note, since it's safe to assume that the doctors and some others know of my presence, what's the damage?" Samus asked, inquiring on her condition.

"Oh, yes!" Luna piped up, levitating a clipboard to eyelevel. "Well, you didn't have many lacerations as your suit protected you from any true cuts, but you did receive some severe bruising on your abdominal area as well as some internal bleeding. You had four fractured ribs as well as some abnormal muscle tears. Nothing that couldn't be fixed with medical magic and a day's worth of rest. You're quite lucky, Samus. Levitation and Binding Magic is very dangerous when going up against one who may be skilled in the art of magical combat," Luna commented.

_So it seems… And here I was starting to think my Varia Suit was indestructible,  
_Samus thought sarcastically.

"Oh, also," Twilight began to speak. "You should be well enough to be discharged sometime in the afternoon as the magic is still doing its work. Celestia would like to speak with you when you _do_ get discharged by the doctors; she will meet you when that happens. Said something about an assignment relating to the Phazon."

"Alright."

The two ponies gave the recovering Hunter some last words of information before they departed (especially Luna, who was absolutely exhausted), leaving Samus in the company of Fluttershy, who was sitting in one of the chairs in the corner of the hospital room.

"H-How are you feeling? If y-you don't mind… me asking t-that is…" Fluttershy inquired softly.

"Quite sore, but I'm definitely feeling better than when I passed out, that's for sure," Samus replied back.

"That's good. Would y-you like me to bring you anything?"

Samus didn't like being waited on hand and food. She felt like an invalid. But, she didn't want to agitate the healing magic (which had an oddly warming presence inside her), so she reluctantly agreed and submitted to her hunger's demands.

"I'm actually a bit hungry now that you mention it…" Samus awkwardly threw out. Fluttershy perked up and smiled.

"Oh! I'll be right back with some soup then, don't you worry!" Fluttershy commented as she gently flew towards the door. However, before she could get there, Samus stopped her:

"Thank you, Fluttershy," the Hunter expressed sincerely. Fluttershy hovered and looked towards the bedded warrior, smiling once more.

"You're welcome, Samus," the yellow pegasus replied with more confidence before disappearing out the door. Samus could feel the sincerity and kindness rolling off the yellow/cream-colored pony, something she hadn't felt in quite a long time. It was comforting, considering her line of work involved almost everything attempting to do her harm, it was actually nice to be 'cut a break,' so to speak. That brought Samus into thinking about her situation as a whole. These ponies, threatened by the force she sought to destroy, were taking it in as much stride as they were able and never wavering in their generosity and overall gentility towards the blonde-haired veteran soldier.

Samus laid her head back against the headboard with these thoughts in mind. As they processed, Samus found herself doing something she hadn't felt compelled to do in a long time.

She smiled.


	6. Encounter

_**Metroid: Equis**_

**Chapter 6**

**Encounter**

"Alright, Miss Aran… After resting and letting the healing magic do its job, your body shows no sign of injury. Your ribs have been healed and all muscles have been repaired, although you may feel a tad sore. You're not restricted from performing any heavy lifting or anything else strenuous but nevertheless I recommend easing into something like that, at least until tomorrow… although I'll leave that to your discretion. You're all set. If you experience pain, come back and we'll give you a more potent painkiller or administer another dose of MedMagic," The doctor said, looking up at the Zero Suit Clad hunter and handing her some medical paperwork.

"Thanks, Doctor," Samus replied curtly but respectfully. He nodded back with a smile and motioned for her to exit the room. Samus was able to easily find the main lobby, and like Twilight had mentioned, Celestia was waiting there patiently while conversing with one of the staff. The white Alicorn perked up when the only fair-skinned bipedal creature walked into the room.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

"Sore, but peachy. Just peachy," Samus replied. Celestia could sense the slight irritation radiating off of the blonde-haired human, most likely due to her recent battle which proved less than victorious on her part. She only nodded and said nothing more on the subject, allowing the Hunter to speak up once more:

"Luna said you wanted to see me?"

"That I did. Come. Walk with me," Celestia replied, beckoning Samus with her head as she strolled out of the hospital. Samus followed suit and fell into step with her, her ever stoic expression present across her features. She treaded just a step behind Celestia so she could lead her to… wherever they were going, yet nothing was said. It was a surprisingly relaxing walk for the Hunter as lack of conversation was never really a complaint for her. As they walked through the town, the town residents could be seen going about their business and would turn to look at the new creature that stood roughly around Celestia's height. Samus noticed they didn't look upon her with fear, but rather with curiosity. They would also look upon the Princess with reverence and bow their heads respectfully as they passed. Eventually, Celestia broke the silence as well as Samus's musings:

"Hungry?"

"I could eat a bit," she replied honestly.

"Then follow me. I know this new café at the other side of town that's owned by Griffons," Celestia answered with a perky smile.

"Not like I'm following anyone else." Celestia turned to Samus with a humorous smile, embracing the sarcasm. Once again, the two walked without much conversation to the other side of town. Samus, once again, didn't mind the extreme lull in conversation. The relaxing walk allowed her to see more of the town and point out/mentally map places of interest for the duration of her stay. Samus made note of the markets, the hardware stores, blacksmiths, as well as places such as Carousel Boutique and Sugarcube Corner, all in relation to the Library. Samus glanced upward and noted the change in sunshine. Clouds were steadily making their way over the area and the Everfree looked like it had decent overcast weather. Chances are it was going to rain soon.

Soon enough, the Princess and the Hunter found themselves taking a seat at a small café that was frequented by non-pony folk such as dragons, other griffons, diamond dogs… essentially those who ate meat.

"Get whatever you would like. We'll speak after a small meal," Celestia reassured. So, Samus ended up opting for a steak while Alicorn Princess requested a Garden Salad. Some idle chatter passed the time while the two ate, and on that note Samus was pleasantly surprised with how tender and juicy the meat was. After a short while, both parties were satiated.

"I gotta say, that was pretty damn good," the Hunter stated while pushing her plate away and subconsciously tapping her stomach in satisfaction. Her plate was devoid of any food and Celestia smiled.

"I'm glad you enjoyed that, but now…" the regal Alicorn began, "…there is something I wish to show you." Celestia levitated a few things to Samus's side of the table where the Hunter promptly took them; discovering that they were photographs by quick inspection. Samus began to thumb through the photos, which consisted of mortally ill or dead pegasi. Samus was unphased by the gore, but years of experience in bloody battle gave her odd attention to detail where it counted. She was able to pick out a distinct commonality between all of the victims: they all had parts of their bodies that had a blue sheen to them (not that that required any expert observational skills). Some had what appeared to be infection of the blood vessels with bright blue trailing every which-way on their bodies. Others had enlarged or completely mutated appendages, while some just had concentrated affliction. Samus looked up and the Princess had a face of many questions.

"Phazon Exposure. I'd recognize it anywhere," Samus finally spoke up, still thumbing through the photos. Celestia nodded.

"Indeed, but that's not what is disturbing Luna and I," she replied. Samus raised her brow in curiosity while Celestia used the opportunity to continue:

"As you know, the impact crater lies in the Frozen North near the Crystal Empire. These photos were of victims who were in or resided in Cloudsdale, our Cloud City and Weather Center in the skies between Canterlot and Ponyville," the Princess of the Sun informed. This piqued Samus's curiosity and she leaned forward, resting her chin on her left hand; a million thoughts were running through her head once more.

_That is _not_ good._

"The Phazon can be spread very easily, but the fact that these victims had been exposed with no prior contact with the impact site is questionable. Do any ecosystems, which could have been contaminated, flow into Cloudsdale?" the Hunter asked. Celestia shook her head.

"No, not from the contaminated areas. I ordered the ceasing of any and all transfer of water from quarantined areas of the Frozen North," Celestia answered. Samus nodded in understanding and took a moment to collect her thoughts.

"Are you certain that everyone—erm… every_pony_ who has had exposure to the Phazon has been quarantined?" Samus asked.

"To my knowledge, yes. However, I cannot be one hundred percent certain that nopony has escaped or evaded quarantine… or simply didn't report exposure," Celestia responded thoughtfully, taking a moment to process her thoughts before turning back to Samus. "What are your thoughts?"

"Phazon spreads through contact. It's essentially a viral corruption. Since no contaminated resource can make its way to Cloudsdale, and ponies are presumably still being exposed or rather being accounted for as mortally ill or dead, it's very possible that you have a rogue element on your han—hooves."

"Rogue Element?" Celestia asked for confirmation, fearing what she hoped wasn't the case. Samus nodded.

"Yes. Some_pony_ who has survived the corruption may be spreading it. For what purpose… is anyone's guess." Samus theorized, leaning back in her chair with her stoic thinking face on. The Princess also looked troubled but obviously seemed to have something in mind.

"This malicious spread of Phazon among my little ponies is not tolerable. So, with that theory in mind, I come to the main reason I wanted to meet with you: I'd like to offer you a proposition; more specifically, a job."

"I'm listening…"

"You have all the knowledge of this Phazon… well, all that you are capable of knowing which is well beyond our scope. As well, your military expertise and your line of work as a 'bounty hunter' will prove most invaluable. As a result, you're the most qualified for this task, well beyond even Equestria's Special Forces. I would like to employ your services," Celestia spoke. "I would like you, after you take care of repairing your armor, to find this potential spreader or whatever the source is of this proliferation. You may use whatever means necessary to complete this objective and, of course, you will be compensated generously."

"I'm gonna need more to go on than just pictures, Princess," Samus pointed out. Celestia nodded and acknowledged this.

"I'm well aware of that. I'll grant you access to all the data and leads we have when you get your armor functioning again. But for right now…" Celestia trailed off as her horn lit up, levitating what appeared to be a small sack. She gingerly placed it on the table in front of Samus with the contents resounding with several jingles and clinks. Samus opened the small bag with one of her hands and found quite the amount of gold coins. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise and she looked back towards Celestia, who only smiled back determinedly.

"… a down-payment."

"This… is pure gold," Samus remarked in a slightly astonished manner, examining a couple pieces of the Equestrian currency. Gold was _very_ valuable within the Federation… having a value on par with that of Afloraltite and the slightly new Fuel Gel.

"Indeed it is. I was worried that in your perspective, our currency would be essentially useless. I'm happy it has some value to you," Celestia remarked. Oh yes, indeed it did. Samus could exchange even this fair bag of gold for a nice sum of Credits.

"So…" Celestia spoke once more, garnering Samus's attention. "Do you accept?" she asked for formalities purposes. Samus technically was ordered by the Federation to render any and all assistance to the Princesses if at all requested. Making some extra _potential_ money off of that wasn't a bad thing in the slightest. Samus let a small grin show and she extended her hand towards the Sun Princess, who extended her right hoof in response. They shook on it.

"Deal. What will you have me do?"

***[****Author's Note****: For all intents and purposes, gold will be seen as valuable and referred to as "gold" by both ponies and the Federation alike. I'm not in the mood to come up with another name for the ponies to refer to the precious metal as. Did they even reference gold in the show and actually call it "gold?" Whatevs'. Just be aware of that, for I do not wish to hear any of 'the bitching.' I digress. Back to the story.]***

[hr]

Samus strolled into the library with the Princess following behind her. Twilight briefly greeted them although Samus did not really reciprocate, making a bee-line straight to her room.

"Is she okay, Princess?" Twilight asked.

"She's just fine, albeit in the mood to fix her armor. She needs to take it to her ship back in the Everfree so she can repair it. She will definitely need it for some work I'm having her do."

"What kind of work?" Twilight asked curiously. Celestia shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Twilight. As much as I can trust you, this information is completely classified. The fact that I told you anything is a breach of some regulations. I hope you can understand, my faithful student," Celestia explained in a somewhat saddened tone. Celestia and Luna didn't want this accidentally spreading out and alerting the public to possible perpetrators of Phazon proliferation, if that was even the case.

Twilight felt a tad hurt but understood completely. Those feelings left as soon as they came and she smiled in understanding once more.

"I understand completely, Princess. No offense taken."

Meanwhile in Samus's room, she was prepping herself for the several mile trek back to her ship. She found the pieces of her mangled suit placed and organized neatly by her bed and she gathered them up in the large duffle bag that she brought with her, making sure it was all neatly organized and packed in there before setting it down. Samus then removed the metal case from under the bed and opened it, retrieving her GF Assault Rifle as well as her Paralyzer Pistol; the latter of which she holstered to her hip. She strapped the duffel bag securely to her back like a backpack and picked up her rifle, checking her ammunition count. Satisfied, she strolled out into the common room, rifle in hand. Twilight, Spike, and Celestia all looked up to greet the Hunter.

"I'll return later," Samus stated as she casually walked to the front door.

"Do you want some company? I could commission a Guard or two…" Celestia offered. Samus shook her head.

"No thanks. I'll do this on my own," she declined. The Princess nodded in understanding.

"Very well. Just be careful when you're that deep in the Everfree. The rain just started both here and over the forest so most of the dangerous creatures should have sought shelter. Nevertheless, be on your guard," the Sun Alicorn slightly lectured.

"Indeed, _mother_. I'll be back before supper," Samus replied with sarcasm, which the Princess slightly giggled and rolled her eyes. She was beginning to go as far as to say that she enjoyed the Hunter's presence. Samus nodded to Twilight before exiting the door, lifting her hand up and giving her two fingered wave/salute as she walked out, closing the door behind her. Being honest, Samus was starting to ever so slightly enjoy the Princesses presences… as well as the other ponies.

As soon as she closed the door, she let the bottom of her rifle fall into her left hand, holding it at a passive stance as she glanced at the sky, completely overcast and a moderate rain falling on the land. She pushed a lock of her hair out of her face and proceeded walking towards the Everfree. The few residents still outside in Ponyville who had met her beforehand gave gentle waves as they hurried to some shelter, to which Samus reciprocated with a gentle nod. She continued a brisk walk until she reached the edge of the Everfree, taking note that the rain was holding steady with no sign that it would end soon.

With that, she began trudging into the forest, the refreshing smell of ozone and the forest mixing together to form a somewhat of a relaxing scent. This reminded her of her time on Tallon IV when she first landed there, exploring the Overworld and how peaceful she found it.

Half a mile in, she pulled back a large branch of some sort, holding her rifle out with her right hand and ensuring a safe transition out of the brush. She bounded over a downed tree and spied a few animals scurrying for cover, while some looked at her curiously. Samus wouldn't get used to the fact that a lot of docile wildlife here was quite the more inquisitive than on other planets she has been on. Samus had to admit, she definitely preferred Equis to Aether… even when she was in the Torvus Bog. She would have tolerated Torvus more if it wasn't for the fact that every area she went, she was assaulted by Grenchlers.

Samus looked over her shoulders as soon as the thought of Grenchlers entered her mind. They were seriously a pain in the ass. Samus felt like Sheegoths were so much easier to deal with, almost a walk in the park in comparison, to Grenchlers.

_Those fuckers could swim too! Then again, as water based predators, I don't know why I'm surprised. _

Samus shook her mind clear of the beasts, getting a running jump and rolling on the ground after she jumped over a trench in the ground.

_Screw them._

The trek was halfway over, as her map was showing on the console that she had on her wrist. The rain picked up a bit but it didn't bother her. Samus's Zero Suit was water-proof and she liked the feel of rain on her face. Granted, her blonde hair clung to her face and neck somewhat but once again, it didn't bother her that much. She checked her ammo count once more on her rifle for the umpteenth time and pushed some hair behind her ear as she continued on. The brisk traveling was continually relaxing even though she was about an hour into it. Just then, the console on her wrist vibrated and sounded.

"**Data Received."**

Samus rubbed some water out of her eyes and raised her left hand to her face to read the notification.

**[Two unknown objects have penetrated Equis atmosphere and descended upon the Everfree. Scanners detect a landing within a mile of your ship.]**

Samus pursed her lips and dismissed the notification, bringing her rifle to a semi-passive aiming stance and continuing onward.

_Their arrival is a bit sooner than I expected. Thought it would take them a week to get organized._

The Hunter stopped for a second to ensure her equipment was secured tightly to her back before she took off into a brisk run, performing acrobatics through the natural forest obstacles that only one with years of experience could muster: Bounding over downed trees, kicking off of other tree trunks and somersaulting over other obstacles… using nature to her advantage. After another three-quarter of a mile, Samus came out of a roll in a battle ready stance, her eyes trained down the sights of her rifle, just in case something was waiting for her. She calmed her breathing, using the rain to help her cool off. The water accumulated on her Zero Suit and easily slid off to the ground as the Hunter briskly walked with her rifle up, barely making a sound and using the heavier rain to mask her movements.

Checking her wrist console, she was about a quarter of a mile away from her ship, and that's when things got a bit tenser. She stopped for a minute to hunker down and catch her breath. In her experience, she always thought it was best to assume that she was being watched the entirety of her journeys. Whether it be when she was being stalked by Chozo Ghosts while exploring shrines on Tallon IV or being trailed by the Ing and Dark Samus when walking through Dark Aether, she was better off ensuring a low profile no matter what… as low of a profile as a colored-armored bounty hunter could keep.

Things were going as planned… until Samus heard something move and break about a hundred feet from her. Her hair stood up on the back of her neck and she kept low, keeping her rifle at the ready.

Samus moved while low, hearing a few twigs snapping and leaves rustling in the near distance. She knew exactly what was out there; even more so when she heard the distinct communication between the entities traversing the Everfree near her position. She pulled the charging handle on her rifle and continued on, not favoring a confrontation right now.

Samus continued on, even with the noise in the background. The rain couldn't hope to drown out the footsteps and constant 'talking' between her adversaries. They were getting close to her now; there was no denying that, even as she was moving forward. As she moved silently, she accidentally stepped on a twig. Samus immediately dropped prone on the wet, grassy forest floor as a growl resounded, as if something was alerted to a presence. After a few tense moments of silence and the white noise of the rain, the interest of her aggressor died out.

_Great… just great._

Samus was barely an eight of a mile from her ship and she couldn't move without risking getting attacked, and she had barely a smidgeon of an idea where her enemies were. Samus would think she knew the direction, but then another grunt, growl, or however they communicated would sound elsewhere. Samus could effectively consider herself surrounded.

After chatter seemed to die down and she was sure the rain would mask her movements, Samus placed her rifle in the crevice of her arms and crawled forward, being sure make as little noise as possible. Listening to the chatter around her, her adversaries had moved collectively past her, forward towards her ship. There was a high probability that they could find it if they trekked straight, and if they found her ship despite its radar/signal cloaking, that would complicate things more than they were already.

Samus knew that she would have to confront them now. If they radioed back to high command, a whole army could be dispatched; even worse if they found Ponyville or any other area: a fleet. With that in mind, Samus got into a crouching position and moved forward, gently pushing through the rainy brush. After she pulled the largest leaf aside she immediately set it back and dropped low, ensuring she was in a prone position and had ample view of the small clearing.

Samus spied four Pirate Troopers, just as they were from Aether, closely conversing with one another. Since she didn't have her helmet on, she couldn't translate what they were saying, but she could gather from their body movements, such as pointing and surveying with their arms, that they were most likely talking about exploring towards her ship. Immediately after that, another figure stepped in through the brush: A Pirate Commando.

_Most likely the Squad Leader._

Samus moved her rifle to her face, aiming down the sight at the Pirate Commando as she lay prone. As she waited for an opportune moment to strike, Samus began thinking about the specifics right now. The Pirates had _some_ armor, albeit nothing that would really hinder her abilities with her weapon. It tended to be weaker on their backs, especially in the case of the Pirate Commando. Samus decided to attack when the Commando turned around. If he didn't, then she'd think of something else. Samus's gaze turned steely and resolved as she moved her eye back to the sights. This had to be done right. If things went south and she was forced into melee combat, it would prove more dangerous without her Suit. As augmented by Chozo DNA as she was, her human body still had its limitations.

_Come on, you bastard… turn around…_

After another tense minute of waiting, the Pirate Commando turned around and gestured to the forest while speaking to his subordinates.

_Gotcha._

One firm squeeze of her trigger later, six rounds from her rifle found their way trailing up the back of the Commando and out his chest. He cried out in agony before dropping on his front. The four pirate troopers immediately turned to random directions, not seeing where the shots came from as they were also turned, and began firing into the forest. When one of the Pirates turned in her direction, Samus put several rounds in his chest and neck. He fell backwards clutching his wounds. The Hunter used this time to roll to the side and take up cover next to a tree. The rain was also doing well to obscure her presence.

A random shot from one of the Pirate's Accelerator Cannons singed the bark of the tree Samus was using to take cover. She recoiled slightly before turning her cover and returning fire. One of the other pirates managed to find where the bolts were coming from and notified the other two. Samus shot him next. The remaining two Pirates immediately scurried to cover behind some trees, obscuring their view from the Hunter.

Samus's breathing increased as she checked her ammo, ensuring a plentiful supply. She gingerly peeked out from behind the cover, seeing nothing but the forest and the heavy rain.

***BLAM***

Samus ducked behind cover immediately as the tree bark right next to her face exploded. She was unharmed, but the backside of the tree took about seven rounds of Accelerator Cannon fire. Samus leaned out the other side and let loose her own barrage, courtesy of the GFMC. She ducked behind cover and made a mad dash for the next few trees. After a few iconic screeches and growls from the Pirates, they began to track her. Samus was disappearing behind numerous trees as enemy fire trailed her path. Samus did her best to return fire on the move. She eventually ceased fire as she sprinted forward, hopefully losing her chasers as crossfire thinned out to nothing.

_Where the hell's my goddamn sh—AH! _

Two Pirate Troopers broke through the brush in her path. Samus instinctually went into a roll in between the two troops before coming out of it and sweeping her leg out to her right, taking the right-most Pirate off of his legs. Looking over her shoulder, Samus parried her assault rifle with the second Trooper's energy scythe and kneed him in the stomach. The Hunter lowered her assault rifle to fire but her ankles were grabbed and yanked out from under her by the downed Pirate as she pulled the trigger, forcing her to the ground in a face plant as her gun fired wildly. She immediately shrugged off the vertigo, kicked backwards, and rolled her body to the left just in time to avoid being stabbed in the gut by another scythe. She quickly flipped up to her feet and found herself face-to-face with the barrel of an Accelerator Cannon. Screaming out in exertion, she swung her rifle forward and knocked the barrel out of her face by pure adrenaline and used the sideways momentum to initiate a roll. Coming out of it, she aimed and sprayed rounds out of her rifle at the two Pirates point blank. The lead one took about twelve rounds to the chest and collapsed lifelessly. The second one was only lightly wounded and swiftly knocked the rifle out of Samus's grip.

The millisecond time of being stunned allowed the remaining Pirate to back-hand her across the face with his arm-cannon, sending her flying off of her feet and hitting the ground hard. Fortunately, she landed with her rifle; unfortunately, her chest collided with it when she hit the ground. Samus gritted her teeth and rolled out to the side, rifle in hand, just in time as her Zero Suit was singed with several beam attacks from the Pirate. She rolled onto her back, rifle aimed outward, and squeezed the trigger. The Pirate was right on top of her when she fired her weapon and she only managed to score another two hits into his outstretched cannon, disabling it and lightly injuring the Pirate himself, much to his enormous frustration.

With a quick execution out of the question now, the Pirate Trooper brought his fist in for a devastating punch, only for Samus to deflect it into the ground. She used the opening to circle his head with her legs and constrict his neck, forcing him backwards as she angled her body backwards towards the ground. The two hit the ground hard, Samus having the upper hand, and she quickly righted herself on her feet and stepped harshly on the Pirate's arm that had the scythe, fracturing it. The Trooper screamed out in agony as Samus ripped the scythe from his arm. She was forced off as the Pirate shakily got to his feet; Samus now having the melee weapon attached to her own arm. Hearing some activity beyond the rain in the distance, Samus realized she didn't have much time before the rest of the pirate forces in the area closed in on her. This battle dragged on longer than it should have.

Samus caught her breath quickly while the Pirate gave one last attempt to start his damaged cannon up. The Hunter dashed forward with frightening speed and slashed upward with great force. The would-be death blow was parried skillfully by the wounded Trooper and he landed a solid punch to Samus's side. She recoiled at the nigh-direct kidney shot and the Pirate advanced on her, bloodlust and revenge in his eyes. He played directly into her plan when he went in for the side-kick. Samus expertly contorted sideways and cleared the channel, bringing her scythe-clad arm up and cutting a nice swath through the Pirate's back-side, before twisting once more with great finesse and plunging the blade through is back and out his chest. The Pirate gave a loud roar of anguish before Samus yanked the blade out, allowing the Pirate to collapse on the soggy ground and ending the brutal melee confrontation.

Samus didn't risk staying to catch her breath as she sprinted forward, grabbing her rifle off the ground and hauling ass towards her ship. Listening through the rain behind her, the other two remaining Pirates (and possibly more) that she had lost the first time around had managed to track her previous position. Seeing her sprinting away, they fired after her with little success due to the trees and other foliage. Samus lifted her arm backward once to return fire, which expended the ammunition in the rifle.

"Damn…" Samus muttered to herself, still somewhat out of breath. She grunted in exertion and somersaulted over another large sump, which turned out to be higher than the ground in front of it. Samus landed in a hunched position and used the small hill to hunker down for a moment. The Hunter pressed a release on her rifle and tossed away an old ammo core, inserting a new one that was stored in her holster. The barrel lit up once in acceptance of the new ammunition supply and Samus pulled the charging handle; sprinting up from her position and dashing through the remaining foliage.

**[Space Pirate forces closing in on your position.]**

Right as her console notified her, a familiar arc of trees came into view and once she passed that, her ship lay in perfect condition. Samus got a sprinting start and launched herself upwards. The ship sensed Samus without any aid of her suit and distorted the gravity around it, letting her complete her spin-jump and land perfectly on the elevator, which promptly lowered her inside.

Had Samus not had a small force of Space Pirates inevitably surrounding her ship within the next minute, she would have collapsed for two to catch her breath. There was no time.

"Command! Auto-defenses online!" Samus shouted as she dumped the damaged pieces of her Varia Suit in the rear storage area where it was assembled on her body. The anti-gravity pad accepted it immediately.

"**Command Confirmed. Auto-defenses active. Space Pirate Troops have breached clearing perimeter,"** her ship's computer sounded out and beam weapon fire immediately erupted from her ship's guns. Samus could hear Pirate beam weapons being deflected off of the ship's energy shielding as they were being either cut down or suppressed by her gunship's mighty weapons… literal definitions of the word "cannon."

Samus watched impatiently as the pieces of her suit were suspended in the anti-gravity and the tools went to work. The Chozo technology was working fast to repair all the damage, using the work of lasers and other forms of energy that the Varia Suit would readily accept for repair process. Ten seconds turned into thirty, which turned into two minutes. The battle was still raging outside and her suit was nearly complete and ready for donning and alignment. Samus felt like it had been an hour before all the cracks, singes, dents, and what not were fully repaired with no sign of any battle on them. She immediately stepped into the anti-gravity and let herself be suspended. The process soon repeated itself from when she first donned the suit on Equis as it realigned and fitted itself to her body. Not soon enough for her, the Varia Suit was fully functional. Samus was lowered to the ground with a familiar 'clink' in her step and she grabbed her helmet, forcing it on her head with the resounding 'hiss' and checking her ammo and energy.

**[Rebooting…]**

**[Varia Suit Online]**

**[Performing System Diagnostic]**

**.**

**.**

"Come on!"

**.**

**[Morph Ball Systems Online]**

**[Space Jump Boosters Online]**

**[Speed Booster Online]**

**[Screw Attack Online]**

**[Grapple Beam Online]**

**[Kinesis Beam Online]**

**[Visor Systems Online]**

**[Arm Cannon: Error! Error! Weapon Systems Missing or Corrupted: Wave Beam/Plasma Beam/Ice Beam/Missile Launcher cannot be located. Reverting default schematics]**

**.**

"That's just GREAT!"

**.**

**[Power Beam Online]**

**[Charge Beam Online]**

**[Varia Suit Functioning to Battle Ready Capacity]**

Samus dismissed the onslaught of notifications and made sure her HUD booted up correctly and quickly made her way to the top of her ship. She aimed her cannon out to attack as her ship's guns continued their defense. To add to everything, the rain refused to let up. There was even a flash of lightning in the distance.

**[Remainder of Space Pirate Expeditionary Force in the landing area.]**

That was the first good news Samus heard today. Her scanners had picked up that the Space Pirates that landed were a recon force, thus few in number. Samus bounded off her ship and proceeded towards the nearest suppressed Pirates, who were firing back to no avail. Samus let off an onslaught of power beam rounds towards their cover before running and bounding over, meeting three Pirate Troopers hunched up low behind some angled trees.

"The Hunter is here!" one of them shouted in surprise, Samus now being able to understand the Pirate's communication with her helmet's translator.

They turned at the same time and Samus decided to use her new abilities right at that moment. She activated her Kinesis and forced the head of one of the Pirates to collide harshly into the tree. She lifted her Cannon and unleashed five rounds into the chest and abdomen of the second Pirate at nigh-point blank range, dropping him. She grabbed the first Pirate's body with her Kinesis and (to the best of her ability) shoved him into the third Pirate as he attempted to fire on Samus. He shoved his comrade aside and went in close and personal. Not hindered by her lack of Varia Suit in melee combat, Samus easily parried his scythe with her arm cannon and, with the strength bonus of the Suit, socked him with a left hook square in his cheek. The Pirate stumbled and dropped to the ground in an enormous daze. Samus aimed her cannon down and finished the job with three well-placed rounds from her power beam. The first Pirate began to stir and the Hunter gave him a swift and enormous kick in the neck, ending him.

Samus took an Accelerator Cannon shot to her pauldron and she immediately took cover. With her ship's auto cannons firing once more, Samus charged her beam and aimed to where four Pirates were entrenched, one of them being a Commando. She quickly aimed towards him as he moved to take a shot at the Hunter and released the charged beam. It struck his exposed head with pinpoint accuracy and high velocity, the impact carrying his body backwards several feet. He was dead as soon as the charged shot slammed into his cranium, and Samus was a tad surprised that it didn't rip his head off entirely.

One of the remaining three Pirates attempted to return fire and was subsequently decimated by Samus's ship as he exposed his torso out of cover, suppressing the now two remaining Pirates. Samus used the opportunity and bounded out of cover. She began sprinting towards their cover, cutting a chord through the circular forest clearing. Soon, her speed increased enormously and her suit enveloped itself in a bright light as her sprint nearly quintupled in speed. She slammed into the enemy cover and directly into one of the Pirates pauldron-first, taking him with her as she slammed him into another tree with enormous velocity right before deactivating the speed boost. The Pirate never saw it coming and he was dead on impact. Samus immediately dove into a roll but didn't walk away with anything less than three shots to her side from the lone remaining Pirate. Her energy shielding protected her well.

"You'll receive more where that came from, Hunter!"

Remaining in cover, she activated her Kinesis on a fair-sized, downed branch and slammed it into the Pirate's face as he wandered close and out of the ship's targeting zone. He doubled back in pain if his anguish-ridden growls were anything to go by.

"AHH!"

Samus ducked out of cover and unleashed a small torrent from her cannon. The Pirate convulsed as each round struck his torso and he fell backwards, dead.

Samus checked her energy reserves. She had sustained some damage but nothing she couldn't take care of. Scans indicated that this was the last of the Pirate recon force, and since their Command wasn't going to hear from them any time soon, that meant that Samus as well as Equis could expect more of them, and soon.

She strolled back to her ship and restored her energy before composing a message to the Federation High Command.

**[Compose New]**

**[A Space Pirate reconnaissance force had landed on Equis. I dispatched them with haste but they will certainly return. Requesting orders as well as the original supply…]**

*****_**BLAM!***_

A loud thud echoed outside of the ship, as if something made impact, and Samus quickly went outside to investigate. She found a medium sized metal crate that had a parachute attached to it.

_Well… there's the drop. _

Samus kicked the GFMC insignia-adorned top off the crate and peered inside. She quickly removed the object before it could get wet and found it to be…

"Hey a Missile Launcher!" she exclaimed, a bit happy to have it replaced on her arm cannon. But wait… that meant that…

"They were gonna send me a useless missile launcher when I already _had_ one?!"

Samus huffed in annoyance. It wasn't like she could complain anyways. It was merely irony at its finest. The Hunter promptly installed the Missile Launcher and replenished its ammunition. As she entered her ship once more to complete the message to High Command, Samus felt a tingling in her head… it was like her brain was itching…

_Wait what?_

A small huff of amusement sounded through Samus's mind. She was definitely feeling weird now.

"_**Relax, Samus. It's Luna. I was merely inquiring on your progress in repairing your Suit?" **_

"_It's done, and I ran into some complications in the Everfree which we all need to discuss. Although being honest, I'm not so sure I'm comfortable having you in my mind," Samus commented. _

"_**It is not a permanent thing. It is only for communication purposes only and I cannot read your thoughts unless you explicitly state them in your mind," Luna explained. "And what were these 'complications' you spoke of?" **_

"_I ran into a Space Pirate Expeditionary Force. I dealt with them swiftly and there are no survivors, but they're going to come back and with much greater force." _

"… _**I see. Do what you must back at your ship and make haste to Ponyville. We will discuss everything in the presence of Celestia, me, and the Elements as well as Military Leaders. As well, a new development has been made in the case of potential Phazon spreading," Luna added. Samus nodded to herself. **_

"_Alright. I'm heading back now." _

"_**See you then." **_

The connection in her mind was cut and Samus checked her suits energy and ammunition one more time before finishing the message to High Command and heading back to Ponyville. With the Space Pirates landing so soon, things were taking a turn for the worse sooner than expected. Samus really had no idea when she could expect Pirate reinforcements to arrive but what was certain was that if things got out of control, she'd have to request direct intervention by the Galactic Federation.

Equis could potentially turn into an enormous battleground, Phazon was spreading faster by unknown means, she had too much to learn with her new magical abilities…

…and the stoic-gazed, blue-eyed hunter was not liking the scenario one bit.


	7. Ponyville

_**Metroid: Equis**_

**Chapter 7**

**Ponyville**

Nothing moved or sounded in Ponyville through the steady rain. Normally, Twilight enjoyed days like these as all she could really do was stay inside and relax, usually with a good book, some food, etc. Well, she did that anyways no matter the day but at least she had an excuse due to the weather. That suited her just fine. However, it would have suited her even more fine if the current state of affairs was... Nonexistent. Naturally, the worried mare's mind was continuously occupied with the future and safety of her friends and Equestria.

Indeed, that was not too relaxing a thought.

Of course, even through these troubling times, Twilight still managed to find some comfort... but that was ultimately diminished when the gentle white noise of the rain steadily striking her wooden residence was slowly drowned out by an enormous roaring sound that happened to emanate from outside her front door.

"Uhhh... Twilight?" the curious Spike asked in confirmation to the deafening noise as the walls were slightly trembling. Twilight shrugged and cautiously fancied a glance outside her door, gently opening it and peeking outside. There, she found an enormous orange, green, and red carriage-like thing about thirty feet in front of the door.

"Well... didn't expect _that_," Spike chimed in, having joined Twilight in taking a look. Soon after, a hissing sound resounded from the ship as well as a few metallic clinks, and Samus emerged from the top of the hatch, revealing herself clad in her telltale armor.

"Oh it's you!" Twilight remarked in a friendly manner, opening the door completely and trotting out to meet her right by the enormous carriage that she inferred was Samus's "ship," using some magic to protect her from getting soaked by the rain.

Samus didn't respond but merely hunched down and launched herself off the top of the ship, somersaulting gracefully through the air before landing on her feet in a hunched position to absorb the impact, right in front of the lavender unicorn. She stood back upright after a second or two.

_Nope. Still hasn't gotten old._

"Hi, Twilight," Samus finally replied as she took one more step towards the unicorn so they proverbially were face-to-face. Samus believed her visor could perfectly hide her face and subsequently, her emotions which would be on display to the world. Somehow, Twilight was able to see past the visor and to the troubled gaze that lay beneath... probably most given away by the fact that the Hunter's posture was a bit more relaxed than normal. Samus had little idea that the Celestial student was that observant until the unicorn piped up.

"Are you alright, Samus?" Twilight asked, Spike joining her side and both meeting the hunters faceless gaze. Samus heaved a gentle sigh, visible only from her physical breathing patters portrayed by her body. This was an interesting mental development for her: in her (almost) three-day stay in Equestria, Samus was already starting to see the benefits of _some_ regular social contact. It definitely offered others to confide in other than her own mind. However, she didn't spill what was on her mind... As she felt it would be necessary for the Princesses to hear them as well. Samus's form was enveloped in a bright flash of light, diminishing immediately and leaving the Hunter in her Zero Suit; the same stoic expression was ever present on her now visible, fair-skinned face, and remaining that way even as the cool rain ran down her face and figure.

"I'm fine. However I need you to contact the Princesses. Something has happened and they need to hear this as soon as possible," Samus stated. Twilight nodded.

"Alright, not a problem. Let's go inside."

For the short walk back to the front of the house, Twilight extended her magic coverage over Samus, shielding her from the rain. She appreciated the gesture. Soon, the two of them found themselves inside the Library, Samus still somewhat soaking from the rain before Twilight covered her. She honestly didn't know why she unequipped her Varia Suit. Her musing was interrupted when she looked down on Spike, who was handing her a large towel. Samus gave the little dragon a friendly grin and a nod before accepting the fabric, drying her figure off and finishing with wringing her hair out a bit before taking a seat on the armchair.

_Ahhhhh... Comfy._

"Spike, Samus needs to send a letter to the Princesses. Take it down for her, will you? And make it top priority," Twilight instructed her assistant as she went to prepare some nourishment for them.

"You got it, Twi," he replied and looked up to Samus, scroll and quill in hand. "Alright, what'll it be?"

Samus pursed her lips in some thought, subconsciously shifting a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Tell them... My suit has been fixed and is fully operational, save for the lack of a few abilities which were lost in the earlier fight. However, one of my fears has indeed been founded. Luna has some knowledge of the situation as she contacted me a bit earlier but I feel that both of you should be here to hear this and discuss the ramifications of such an event. As such, I formally request an audience with both of you as soon as possible."

Spike continued scribbling for a few more seconds and forcefully punctuated the last sentence with pride.

"Here's what it looks like. Want me to send it?" he asked in confirmation, handing her the scroll. Samus skimmed over the admirably neat writing. It looked great to her.

"Send it."

And like that, the message was away in a burst of fire from the dragon's mouth, who then excused himself to join Twilight. Samus raised a brow but didn't question the method of mail delivery. She spaced out momentarily before opting to go upstairs and change into her newly dubbed 'civilian clothes,' returning to her same position on the chair and letting her hair down.

Twilight and Spike soon returned and indulged Samus with some light conversation over some snacks. Samus didn't reveal anything that happened in the forest, so she just enjoyed the lull in activity while snacking on a cookie of some sorts. Whatever it was, it was good. As with other 'normal' food, sweets were particularly hard to come by for Samus when she was deployed... Which was pretty much all the time anyway. As a result, she treasured and savored sweets whenever she was able to get her hands on them. Six medium sized cookies later, a bright flash of light originated from the middle of the common room, several feet from the three occupants, and died out as fast as it came, leaving Celestia in its place.

"Hello, you three. I'm glad that... Where's Luna?"

Another bright (blue) flash of light illuminated the common room and died out, leaving Luna in the midst of an enormous yawn. She nudged her crooked tiara back in place.

"I'm heeee... Ach! Here." Luna attempted to say through another yawn. She obviously had been forcibly woken up not to long ago.

"Didn't I just talk to you like... half an hour ago?" Samus asked, concerning Luna's state of being dead tired. Luna turned to Samus with droopy eyes.

"As Princess of the Night, I have complete Lucidity in my dreams. I can literally contact you in my sleep... And I did just that," Luna stated somewhat drowsily.

"I see..."

"How are your injuries?" Luna asked drowsily. Samus lifted her shirt up over her midriff, exposing her toned stomach and the healing bruises that lined it.

"Doesn't really hurt anymore compared to earlier, thanks for asking. Any updates on the Phazon spreading?" Samus asked in return. Celestia sighed.

"Most of Manehattan had to either be quarantined or evacuated completely. Sporadic instances of Phazon corruption are dotting areas of Las Pegasus and Detrot. In other words, it's spreading... slowly but surely," she replied. Samus nodded and and a small silence fell upon the four as Samus was lost in her thought.

"At any rate, Samus, you requested an audience?" Celestia stated. Samus nodded and crossed her legs in a lotus position on the chair.

"Well, like last time, I'll get straight to the point. On my leisurely stroll to my ship in order to repair my suit, I discovered a small recon detachment of Space Pirates."

Celestia's expression didn't change all that much and Luna merely held her gaze in deep thought. Twilight also was quite worried and Spike only listened intently. Samus took advantage of the silence and continued speaking:

"It was a small recon group of about ten to fifteen Pirates or so, I wasn't keeping too much count during the skirmish. There's an almost absolute certainty that they relayed their position to one of their fleets, and even my presence when I was forced to engage them."

"Were they the only ones to land?" Celestia asked. Samus... actually didn't consider that. She didn't anticipate the Space Pirates even arriving for _at least_ a week.

"Honesty, I don't know. I didn't anticipate their arrival so soon. The fact that they were that organized and 'on top of their game' so to speak, is quite eye-opening. Going back to being completely honest, I wouldn't doubt if small scouting parties landed sparingly around Equestria."

"What about the rest of the world?" Twilight asked.

"Chances are, like myself and the Federation, that they were able to ballpark the general area where the meteor could have landed by basic probability from its trajectory. They also most likely have the same problem with actually isolating its exact location. With your help in telling me where the meteor actually landed, we have an advantage should the Pirates have already set up forward outposts. I recommend keeping a vigilant eye out and ensuring any military forces you can spare are deploy to areas of suspicion and the nearby civilian areas if any," Samus explained. There was another bout of silence, and Samus, this time, wanted an answer to her statements. The three were obviously thinking over their current predicament while Spike was just silent.

"You would know better than us on how to deal with these Space Pirates. We'll deploy the Guard and the Armed Forces to discussed locations. We will likely consult with you on that matter," Celestia finally responded. Samus gently nodded.

"That's fine by me. But, a warning: The Space Pirates are _ruthless_. They care not for other lives but their own... sometimes that's even questionable. Their only goal is power... power to fight against the Federation. They _will_slaughter any ponies they come across, if not capture them for experiments. Do not attempt to reason with them. If they attack first, or you even find a patrol of them wandering around, dispatch them with utmost prejudice," Samus proclaimed. Celestia and Twilight were taken aback by this, while Luna seemed indifferent either way.

"Samus, please bear in mind that Equestria hasn't been to war in nearly a thousand years. Issuing a terminate-on-sight protocol could be a bit... problematic."

"Your armed forces... what are they trained to do?" Samus asked, knowing the answer already.

"They're trained soldiers," Celestia responded.

"And what do trained soldiers do?"

"They defend their homeland from whatever threat rises against it."

"And what does that often entail...?"

Celestia didn't show it but she knew she was beaten.

"Loss of life will be inevitable."

"Indeed it will be. The Space Pirates have no qualms with genocide. You can either fight back and defend your subjects, or leave them to fend for themselves. What's it gonna be, Princesses?" Samus asked, still slightly irritated with their attitude towards conflict... but then again, what else could she expect from a nation dedicated to peacekeeping?

Celestia lowered her head in admission and turned towards Luna. Luna had a stoic look on her face but soon met her eyes with Celestias. Seeming to communicate instantaneously by mind, Luna concluded their little glance with a curt nod.

"Very well, Samus. We shall place our forces on high alert and issue the necessary orders to effectively combat the Pirates should the need arise," Celestia acquiesced.

"I knew you would understand," Samus replied sincerely.

"And suppose we do uncover an outpost...?" Luna proposed.

"Inform me of its location and I'll infiltrate it and destroy it, along with any Pirates I find."

"Alright. What will you be doing as of now? The main priority is still the spread of the Phazon!" Luna pointed out.

"I'm well aware of that, but after the fight with the ghosts, things have become more... complicated. I've lost most of my equipment... again. I thought just this once I could go without losing or having some creatures stealing my shi—ahem... getting said equipment stolen. As a result, I'll have to procure replacements." Samus bitterly replied.

"How would you do that? I'm pretty sure anything physical we have to offer in terms of technology won't be compatible," Twilight observed. The others nodded in agreement.

"Either way, it poses a problem. I was counting on my arsenal to be able to combat the Phazon and the Pirates with maximum effectiveness. Having only two weapon systems in my standing state doesn't suit my fancy. The Federation can only send me so many things in certain amounts of time and I can only make so much with my current skill set in construction, circuits, and what not."

Luna had a thoughtful look on her face.

"Your Kinesis... is it still active?"

"Actually yes... I had to use it against a Pirate Trooper."

"Your... what is it, _Grapple Beam?_" Samus nodded. "Your grapple beam acts as a magical link to your body. We can probably exploit that and restore some of your weaponry, or simply create our own," Luna proposed. This piqued Samus's interests.

"You could transfer a whole weapon system via magic?" Samus asked incredulously.

"But of course, that's the point! As I've heard some of my younger subjects state: 'It's magic. Ain't gotta explain shit.'"

Samus gave a sensible chortle.

"Fair enough. And as well, I have a hunch what you might mean, but could you clarify what you meant by 'creating your own?'" Samus asked.

"Of course. Many of the threats you face here will have certain vulnerabilities that we know of through our magic. We can channel different kinds of weaponized magic into your cannon and ensure full adaptive capabilities of our own design. However, _cross-engineering_ takes an enormous amount of magic, so we wouldn't be able to simply replace your entire weapon systems in one spell."

"I figured as much with the last addendum. Then I'll have to resort to other magic found unnaturally on the planet. On the quick flight back here, my scanners picked up some anomalies of magical origin in different areas of Equestria. Chances are these areas will hold the keys to rearmament," Samus speculated. Celestia seemed doubtful.

"How can you be sure that random 'magical powerups,' for lack of proper nomenclature and the purposes of over-simplicity, will just be readily discovered and or uncovered through exploration?" the Solar Princess asked. It almost seemed... too linearly planned for it to be an actual reality. Samus shrugged.

"Let's just say from my years and years of experience... I merely have a _hunch_. The Chozo also seem to enjoy leaving things of great power behind for a random wanderer to stumble upon. As well, my exploration and search may indeed aid me in that little... assignment you gave me. It's relevance coincides with the direct mission at hand and the two will likely cross paths very soon."

"The Chozo?" Twilight and Celestia asked, having heard Samus mention the name before but not seeing the connection.

"The _Visitors_," Luna uttered. The two other mares connected the dots almost immediately. Luna had forgotten to mention Samus's colloquially recognized name for The Visitors while explaining the events to Celestia and Twilight. Soon enough, all matters had been covered.

"Well, thanks for listening, Princesses. Better earlier than never to get started on some searching and digging. The faster I'm up to full strength, the faster we can ultimately deal directly with the Phazon core," Samus noted. She then stood up, along with the other mares. Luna, however, wasn't done with her own thoughts.

"Samus, would you mind equipping your suit? I believe I have something for you," Luna stated, still halfway in thought, as if she was trying to figure semantics out in her head.

"Umm, sure. One moment," Samus stated, bounding up the stairs and reappearing with her Zero Suit before equipping her Varia Suit in a bright flash of light. Luna walked forward and circled around the Hunter, Samus and the others curiously watching the Lunar Alicorn's movements.

"Extend your cannon, please?" Luna asked. Samus complied without a word as she straightened her cannon out in front of her. Luna's eyes roamed over its features... Gazing as if attempting to find a way inside it. She started gently tapping the green, seemingly nigh indestructible metallic appendage with her horn before charging it. Her horn became enormously bright, almost blinding, before the magic slowly diffused out of the spiraled appendage and into Samus's arm cannon. The teal blue aura seemed to surround the cannon and slowly but surely seep into it as Luna poured more and more magic into it.

**[Data transfer in progress...]**

_This is interesting..._

**[Arm cannon has been magically charged! Weapons Systems may now assimilate magic-based weaponry.]**

Before Samus could even react to that statement, her visor cut her off once more as magic continued to pour into her cannon and consequently, her suit:

**[Data transfer in progress...]**

"Luna... What are you giving her?" Celestia asked. Luna only smiled as magic continued to pour out of her horn.

"Oh, just a little something of mine..."

The flow of magic abruptly stopped as Samus's arm cannon lit up with such luminosity that it shown almost bright white. Soon the magic dissipated, leaving her cannon glowing as if she acquired a new weapon. Samus felt her cannon grow unstable as was common when something new assimilated.

Samus felt this new weapon embed itself in place of her former wave beam. She felt compelled to relieve the cannon and as if Luna knew what was going to happen, she magically opened the front door as Samus took aim and fired. The cannon emitted a loud, almost distorted firing explosion as Samus shot. A single teal projectile a bit larger than a Power Beam shot left the gun barrel with a subtle trail of what looked like star dust, slamming into a nearby tree with enormous kinetic energy. All that remained was a singed, destroyed area on the bark that was left with an iconic magical burn. Twilight and Celestia looked on, Twilight staring with wide eyes and Celestia with a gentle look of surprise. Luna wore a smug grin on her muzzle.

Samus was pretty impressed with the results although she was still trying to process the events, as the final assimilation all transpired in about five seconds. She examined her cannon, which took on its Wave Beam orientation. However, instead of the purple, coursing electricity, she found a black, navy blue and violet twinkling night sky within the cannon's rifts. It was as if she was looking into deep space.

**[Night Beam Acquired!]**

**[Lunar magic has augmented your arm cannon and allowed the assimilation of the Night Beam. The Night Beam is similar to your power beam, but differs in the respect that its projectile is magical energy rather than hard light. Use this new weapon against entities which would otherwise be extremely resiliant or bear immunity to your other weapon systems.]**

"Well then... I can't wait to have a rematch with those damn spirits," Samus finally said as she examined her cannon. Luna chuckled and Celestia mustered a smile.

"Your first magic based weapon, one of my favorites of I do say so myself. Simple yet effective. This will allow you to engage magical entities at range rather than up close," Luna added. Samus nodded to her.

"Thanks."

"Twas no trouble."

"Samus, tomorrow I wish to discuss a development in the Cloudsdale incident. I believe we may have found something and I won't know until then, when the investigative report is in my hooves," Celestia stated. The Hunter nodded to her as well.

"Very well. Then in the meantime, I'm off to do some exploring," Samus said as she took a couple tentative steps towards the door.

"Where will you go?" Twilight asked.

"My ship's scanners have picked up suspected areas of ruin sites; Chozo origin most likely."

"That may be true, but realize that the Alicorns and Visitors lived in cooperation, often times with each other. You may stumble into Alicorn ruins as well. Take heed, for spirits may still lurk there," Luna pointed out.

"Thanks for the tip. I'll be in touch," Samus acknowledged. She nodded in thanks to the Princesses and Twilight before exiting out the door and bounding up and into her ship. The three mares watched as the ship's engines roared to life and rose up through the rain and disappeared into the white cloud canopy, it's sound slowly dying out as it cruised towards the Everfree.

The three plus Spike continued to watch as Samus's ship eventually faded from hearing.

"Princess Luna, weren't we supposed to give her magic training?" Twilight suddenly remembered. Luna chuckled along with Celestia.

"Indeed. We did say that we would, but worry not. I've already anticipated her destination. She will... 'receive' her training," the Dark Alicorn replied cryptically.

* * *

**[High Command of the Galactic Federation]**

**[To: Samus Aran]**

**Thank you for the update on the situation. The news of the Space Pirates establishing a foothold on the planet in such a small time frame is concerning. Address the Pony Leadership as to the increased likelihood of direct Federation intervention at next next opportunity. In the meantime, work to replace your equipment and achieve maximum efficiency to combat the Phazon. We will aid you when possible in that respect. Other than that, your actions are at the discretion of these Princesses.**

* * *

The Hunter sat comfortably in her chair as her gunship cruised comfortably and fairly slowly (relatively speaking). Looking over the maps that were given to her, Samus made the obvious conclusion that no sites worthy of exploration were near or in civilized centers. The closest ruins site besides Nightshade Temple was, according to her scanners, located somewhere in the deeper Everfree, where popular nomenclature referred to this lost area as_Starfall Fortress_. According to research able history, this place was built by the Chozo and Alicorns as an "impenetrable" fortress against the Dragon Hordes.

"A fortress. As good of a place to start as any I suppose."

Samus soon closed in on her destination, obscured by enormous cloud coverage, and descended into the canopy, once again finding a suitable clearing for her ship due to luck. Samus heard nothing but the sounds of the sense forest, this time even farther from Ponyville, as she exited her ship via the hatch. She checked her map, noting that nothing was explored, as she expected, save for a place of interest, an even larger area than from her previous adventure with Luna, this time known as _The Siege Front_.

Samus figured that if this area was that enormous, then the Fortress itself must be a lost wonder of the world. Samus opted to just leap off her ship and land on the ground comfortably. Arming her Power Beam, she followed her map into the forest in search of Starfall Fortress, eager to see what laid inside.


	8. Starfall Fortress

_**Metroid: Equis**_

**Chapter 8**

**Starfall Fortress**

Samus gently strode through the tiniest of paths through the thick forest. Only through years of experience in the field was she able to even spot it, as it had been overgrown and lost to time, save for the small remnants of unnatural stone lining the dirt. The rain had moved over her location and picked up, drenching the area with a moderate downpour and low clouds, effectively reducing Samus's effective vision to only several dozens of feet in front of her. She was at peace right now, but still enormously curious as to what this Fortress held within its walls. Samus always had a soft spot for discovery and adventure; time was of the highest essence, however, so the Hunter couldn't enjoy the current task at hand as much as she'd like.

Samus had decided to start doing little things with her magic to exercise her mind. In her ship, she would move small things that she needed with her Kinesis, and as of right now, she was taking advantage of her newfound ability to move leaves and branches aside. Slowly but surely her mind was getting used to the taxing. Not to mention the little tasks were simple to deal with. Luna DID pledge her some magical insight, so she wanted to make sure she was able to perform when asked.

The Human set her mind back to the task at hand. Her map indicated that she was about half a mile from the Fortress. Samus didn't expect to encounter anything interesting on the way to her destination, and like she thought (and enjoyed), it was all quiet. Of course, quiet in her terms was merely the sound of nature masking most of her movements and allowing her mind to wander JUST a pinch. All that sounded were the moderate patter of the rain against the landscape, trees and leaves rustling and swaying with the rain and light wind, and her own steps as she marched onward. Soon enough, she noticed the foliage start to clear up a bit, indicating the presence of some structure nearby... her map confirmed this. Her map also had shown a large clearing, but Samus figured it would have been grown over some since it hadn't been inhabited for... who knows how long.

Samus held her cannon out as she passed through the last layer of the thickest brush, noticing just stomach-high grass and bushes laying in her path. After rounding the last tree, the Hunter finally saw what her search was meant to yield:

_Starfall Fortress..._

Her eyes trailed upward at the _gargantuan_ citadel. Scans indicated that the structure was easily seven miles wide and even half a mile high at it's longest and highest points respectively. Samus had virtually no idea how this had not been spotted by the naked eye... anywhere. Then again, this area of the Everfree was perpetually plagued by rain and low lying clouds, so it would make sense in some respect. From what she could see, the structure was easily abandoned far in the past, as natural wear and tear had taken its toll on what was once most likely a beautiful sight to behold.

Samus stepped fully out of the brush and into the grass to get a full look at what seemed to be the rear of the Fortress. An endless flight of stairs lead up to several archways into the structure itself, flanked by enormous obelisks of Chozo warriors on one side, each looking like all the standing statues that Samus found on Zebes, as well as Alicorn warriors on the other side, each with their two front legs raised as if in combat.

She wasted no time and had a steady walk to the first steps. She gazed up the endless stairs, knowing that she couldn't just merrily skip up to the top... the Phazon would have taken the planet by then. Instead, Samus opted for a better idea.

_Been a while since I've done this..._

The Hunter hunched down and jumped as high up over a few steps as she could, reaching the apex in height and distance in her jump before activating her Space Jump boosters. They propelled her even farther as she initiated a somersault. She wasn't done yet though; Samus then activated her Screw Attack, being able to propel herself higher and farther each time up the stairs. After about a minute of this, she reached the top and landed perfectly on her feet.

_I remember when I pretty much was able to fly with this on Zebes... yeah that worked well._

Samus comfortably entered the fortress through the large, twenty-foot tall archway in front of her. She was immediately assaulted by the beauty of the architecture of the hall she entered. It literally screamed of Chozo design, at least from the building styles she was able to recognize, on top of the telltale obelisks and statues. The place was completely and utterly deserted. Not another life to be found.

However, this unnerved Samus. The absence of other things in her immediate area was normally not a problem. However, there was NOTHING on her motion sensor... not even any local creatures. True, this place may be abandoned by every definition of the word... then again something was keeping the Fortress from being completely taken over. Samus soon found some writing on the wall.

_Hmmm... maybe this will shed some light on history..._

**"Recorded to Logbook"**

**[Chozo Lore]**

**[Translation: "The Great War against the Dragon Hordes has taken its toll on our nations. Once, we were able to keep their hunger for power at bay. Now we find ourselves continuously but slowly being overwhelmed. Many of the Dragons' large sizes played to their advantage, as a single dragon could easily swipe away twenty of our best warriors. The construction of this mighty Fortress was soon ordered: the bastion of our great civilizations to be made impenetrable by any and all means."] **

_More history... most excellent!_

Samus disengaged her scan visor and continued her brisk walk, arm cannon held at semi-passive elevation as her eyes roamed over the hall she was passing through. Said hall was lined with more Chozo statues on one side, Alicorns on the other. After thousands of years (or cycles), the architecture was still in excellent condition, as is usual with most structures of Chozo design. She also noticed the remains of catapults, arrows, traditional Chozo energy staffs and swords long rusted and lost to nature. She also noticed something else... There were the remains of a large cylindrical tube that lay in two pieces. The broken off front part appeared to taper off into a point.

**"Recorded to Logbook"**

**[Object: Particle Beam Cannon]**

**[Magic based, projectile firing Heavy Gun. The Alicorns required heavier weaponry against their war with the Dragon Hordes. Isolated magic casting, or even group casting was too time consuming to deal with the enemy, so Alicorn weapons masters developed the ability to fire large volumes of hard-magic in a single projectile with the use of a weaponized core; this firing mechanism is similar to the 'cartridge mechanism' (with gun powder) used in early Human history.**

Samus looked around and indeed found random, corroded and rusted to time, cylindrical 'cartridges' that had long since been fired or burned out. Samus looked outside and found that this hall was overseeing large swaths of Everfree. She concluded that this was one of the stations manned by Chozo and Alicorns alike. This was confirmed while strolling down the entire line, seeing destroyed/corroded Particle Cannons one after the other. There had to be at least thirty of them in this section alone.

_They really built this place up! If this Fortress was still manned I don't even think the might of the GFMC could breach this fortress!_

.

.

_Okay that might be a little far-fetched but there's no way the GFMC would come out of this unscathed, that's for sure._

Samus continued onward, carefully paying attention to her map in order to find this _Siege Front_. However, whenever she was pointed in the right direction, a hallway would take her elsewhere, which lead to open courtyards, which lead to more hallways. She had been walking for about forty-five minutes and was growing irritated at the complex design of this Fortress.

_Even Sanctuary Fortress wasn't this damn complicated._

Samus then spotted more scripture on a plaque and decided to stop for a small read:

**"Recorded to Logbook"**

**[Pony Lore]**

**[Translation: "The Dragons have pressed their attack for almost a week and still the Fortress holds strong, their bodies littering the enormous Everfree. However, were it not for The Visitor's help and technology, this sanctuary for our threatened ponies may have well been destroyed some time ago. Our new weapons can hold the Dragon's warriors at bay, but the Night Dragons proved ever resilient against our defensive attacks. The Visitors were able to integrate their technology with ours, creating a weapon so powerful, even the might of the Night Dragon couldn't hold against it. It remains in the center of Starfall, in a Great Halloverseen by the finest warriors of the Visitors. There it rests, the very essence of Starfall's survival shall strike down our enemies with utmost prejudice. The might of the Alicorns shall be feared once more."]**

_The Great Hall..._

Samus immediately opened her map on her HUD and searched for any of the rooms she passed being close to something resembling "Great Hall." Unfortunately, none were, and it was probably too much to ask for a map station.

Realizing she'd have to search blindly, Samus let out an irritated sigh as she closed her map. However, as if fate had mercy on her, something was on the wall behind the writing she scanned. Squinting her eyes a bit, she found the remnants of what looked like a massive, worn...

_Directory?_

It was definitely rectangular in shape and had the layout of a map of some sorts. Samus equipped her scan visor:

**[Scanning...]**

A negative beeping resounded after a few seconds.

**[Analysis inconclusive. Object missing key identification components.]**

Samus huffed in irritation. So close, yet so far. This directory was useless in hindsight. She could probably search for days and not find a proper route to the intended area. Right as she intended to step away, she stopped suddenly in her tracks as a thought struck her:

_Unless..._

The Hunter looked to her Grapple Beam and back to the lost map.

_Magic. It's worth a shot._

Samus stepped closer to the degraded directory and raised her Grapple Beam near one of the edges of the directory and slowly let her mind filter. The appendage lit up with her teal blue aura, but Samus wasn't sure how to proceed from here. Magic filtered out but dissipated as quickly as it appeared.

_Ummm... fix?_

_Nothing._

_Repair?_

_Nope._

_Restore? Yes! Restoration. Restoration spell... ummm..._

Samus closed her eyes to clear out the rest of her mind of anything but restoring the map. Deep breathing ensued as she felt energy tug at her mind. Opening her eyes a bit revealed two dimly teal-lit eyes behind the green visor as magical energy poured through her form. Slowly, magic filtered out of her Kinesis and applied itself like a bright adhesive to the missing and chipped paint, effectively and somewhat literally "filling in the cracks." The bright blue energy then faded away, revealing a completely restored portion of the map is if it was repainted hours ago. Reassured (and somewhat proud of herself), Samus moved her Kinesis over the entire map, and what she wasn't able to reach, she was merely able to manipulate her aura to move farther.

After fifteen seconds, she ceased her actions and her magical aura receded, leaving her eyes shrouded behind the visor and her upper abdominal armor expanding and contracting with her labored breaths. She felt a bead of sweat or two between her skin and the helmet. Looking at her handiwork, the directory was now completely legible.

**[Scanning...]**

**[Map Data Acquired! Starfall Fortress map data updated!]**

Samus smirked at the small bout of intuition she had and decided to finally see where she was going. She opened up her map and to say that she was surprised was an understatement. Yeah, the cartographical representation on the wall was one thing, but Samus really had no idea as to the sheer size of the network within Starfall. She almost stumbled a bit backwards as to how much map data had loaded. Putting it conservatively, Starfall Fortress was about one and a half times the size of the traversable areas of the Pirate Phazon Mines on Tallon IV.

Aside from trying to figure out the most direct route to _The Siege Front,_ Samus was also curious about this particular 'weapon' that was being stored in _The Great Hall._ With luck on her side, this great hall (which she had to comment was very large in appearance as well,) was directly in the path to _The Siege Front._ Samus would have to pass through it in order to continue on her way.

More than satisfied at the turn of events, Samus continued onward. After rounding a few corners and some halls lined with more statues, Samus came to a relatively large set of double-doors. These doors, according to her map, led to a ridiculously straight and lengthy corridor, although it was large enough in width to be a small highway. Samus deduced this was one of the main arteries of navigation through Starfall, as several other capillary hallways and rooms would attach themselves to it and lead elsewhere. The same prospect was present elsewhere around the fortress. The logic behind it seemed sound. This corridor, several miles in length, led directly into _The Great Hall,_which happened to be the exact center of the Fortress.

_I don't know why that seems so ironic._

Rounding the last corner, she came to another large hallway, which held the archway with the huge double-doors. Walking up to the front of it, Samus first noticed the two Chozo head-statues jutting forward, mouths(beaks?) open, and some dim energy that still happened to be functioning. Samus figured it was magic. Activating her scan visor, she took interest in said energy.

**[Scanning...]**

**.**

**.**

**[Chozo Artifact: "Abdication"]**

**[Object Translation: "As we prepare for our journey onward, we transfer this mighty Fortress to the Equine race. Let it forever be their beacon of hope and light in ever terrible odds. We Chozo have left them all they shall need, while sealing the center of this Fortress off to their magic. The Great Hall will serve as a shrine to our own who fell in battle against the Draconic Hordes, as well as our most powerful weapon, not deemed necessary to put into the hands of the Equines. This Sacred Shrine will we watched over for all of eternity by our greatest warriors who protected us in both everlasting light and omnipresent darkness."]**

_Well... that was poetic._

Samus then noticed that both entities of energy shown brighter within the Chozo statues' grasps. Samus scanned the second one:

**"Grant entrance to whomever desires it, assuming they are of Chozo blood. Let them speak their name."**

The ball of energy within the Chozo statue's mouth changed its hue from blue to red. No sound emanated, as if it was waiting for something. Samus reached out and grasped the ball of energy, letting it dissipate into her, before she went on her hunch:

"Samus Aran of Zebes," she spoke in perfect Chozo.

The energy diffused out of her and back into the statue, causing its eyes to glow red... and then turn to blue and flash a few times. Both statues simultaneously did this. Seconds later, a loud rumbling was heard, and Samus could hear the echoes and moving of the ancient tumblers of the locking mechanism, before the double-doors slowly opened with a piercing creak. Samus stepped back and allowed the doors to continue opening up until they ceased, the life within the statue heads snuffed out as their eye color returned to stone.

Samus found a semi-lit hallway (or highway, as it was large enough for even a Federation Tank to pass through easily), lit through holes that brought in light from the outside world somehow. Even though Samus could still tell that it was raining heavily, natural light poured through, although its intensity waned due to the obvious overcast weather.

Samus walked with slight trepidation as she always did when exploring new areas, but quickly found the hallway as barren as the rest of the Fortress she passed through. All the other doors leading to capillary passages were sealed shut or destroyed, some passages even being caved in. Deciding she did enough sightseeing of the architecture, Samus broke into a light jog... which evolved into a heavy sprint. Soon her suit registered the activation of the Speed Booster and Samus was propelled at high velocity through the highway.

After a whole minute and a half of running, she slowed herself down as she came to another set of double doors, although this time there was an enormous Chozo statue, like she saw on Zebes, blocking its entrance and outstretching it's hands as Samus had been accustomed to seeing. On pure instinct, Samus somersaulted into the Chozo statue's hands and phazed into her Morph Ball module. Samus 'felt' the Chozo firmly grasp her spherical form and bow it's head in recognition.

The statue sat on its posterior and flooded Samus's form with pure energy, restoring her energy reserves and replenishing her ammunition. Surprisingly, Samus noted that the taxation she felt after using the magic to an extent had dissipated, and her headache was gone.

She rolled out of the hands (which opened up) and morphed back into her standing form. Jumping on the head of the Chozo statue revealed the high-set double doors, half the size of the highway entrance, ready to be opened. As if sensing her presence, the Chozo lock flashed with blue magic and opened inward. Samus took a tentative step inside and observed the naturally lit, circular _Great Hall._ It was a perfect circle with only two exits: the one she came through and one on the opposite end. Turning her gaze upwards, the Hall extended upward to the apex of the fortress, of which was so high she couldn't even really see the ceiling, despite the entire center of the hall being lit up naturally by sunlight which permeated the overcast weather.

Samus jumped down into the hall proper, landing in a hunched position and began walking towards the center. There was no sign of any weapon being here. The only thing she saw was the statue of a burly Chozo Warrior, clad in its traditional battle armor and energy staff, to her 9 o'clock. Samus had seen _a lot_ of Chozo statues in her day, but this one was... different; not just in appearance, but she received a weird vibe as well. She went to scan it but before she could, both doors locked suddenly. Samus turned frantically to both exits, seeing that her way out was sealed, and got in a fighting stance ready to shoot anything that moved.

The statue took a static texture to it, much like Samus experienced in Nightshade temple. However, the light wasn't forced away, nor did Samus hear any ghastly sound emanating from the entity.

Like she expected, the static entity separated into a full ethereal form of a Chozo Ghost, which stood upright and moved naught a 'muscle,' or whatever could be constituted to a muscle for an entity of another dimension. Samus lowered her cannon and had a staring contest with this... odd Chozo Ghost. She noticed that its chest expanded and contracted like it was breathing, and she could pick out enough detail where its eyes were on her. This had _never_happened to her, obviously, so Samus wasn't quite sure what to do as this staring contest continued.

Soon, however, the Chozo widened its stance and began, what Samus could best describe as, 'changing.' Samus witnessed a pool of pure energy and magic form at its feet before slowly traveling upward inch by inch. Slowly but surely, Samus's jaw dropped slightly as to what she was seeing, for, _slowly but surely_, this Chozo 'Ghost' was gaining color. Soon, the magic encased the entire ethereal form of the Ghost and dissipated, leaving what appeared to be a living being in its wake.

_Impossible..._

Samus's surprised gaze never left the Chozo as she slowly raised her left hand to the side of her helmet. As if sensing what she was doing, the Chozo entity took a more relaxed stance.

**"Recorded to Logbook."**

**[Morphology: Chozo Warrior]**

**[Warrior class and warfighter of the late Chozo Empire. This Ghost of a fallen Chozo Warrior has found a link back to the physical realm, able to take on it's fallen form as the mighty fighter it once was. Extremely strong, magically adept, excellent tacticians and impressive agility are only a few traits which truly describe the essence of any Chozo Warrior. They typically carry an energy staff which was forged by them and directly connected to their aura. Energy staff is capable of firing normal and charged projectiles identical to your Power Beam, as well as being used as a potent melee weapon. Extremely aggressive in combat, exercise caution.**

Samus lowered her hand and confirmed that the Chozo Warrior was indeed standing in front of her in all its glory. The Warrior reached behind its back and pulled out its energy staff, letting its hilt connect with the floor audibly and holding it at a passive stance, arm stretched outward and choking up on it. Samus didn't raise her weapon yet, but merely studied the Chozo. From the decorations and muscle mass, it was definitely a male. He stared back at her, straight into her visor and into her eyes wordlessly. Samus decided to take a similar stance, widening her legs a bit in a semi-passive form. Samus also took note that this Chozo wasn't an enormous, giant of a specimen, but rather close to her height.

The Chozo then beat his fist to his armor plating and pointed his staff with one hand diagonally outward. Samus knew that gesture.

_A salute... or 'bow.' I remember clearly during training with my caretakers... but this Chozo, he can't seriously mean..._

Samus's thoughts were cut off when the Chozo leaned his staff towards her, as if anticipating something. Samus could only smirk amusingly.

_He wants a friendly battle!_

"Full submission, no fatalities. It's been a while," Samus thought out loud in Chozo. The warrior didn't respond, but merely saluted once more. Samus, this time, returned the bow with one of her own: her iconic salute with her arm cannon, before pointing it at the Chozo, to which he reciprocated with his staff.

_This is gonna be fuuuuun..._

The two began to circle each other in their fighting stances, daring the other to take the first shot. However, Samus never won her confrontations by playing defense the entire time... so she broke the silenced and unleashed a burst from her Power Beam. The Chozo Warrior merely raised his hand up and called upon his own energy and magic to absorb the blasts, no harm done. Samus had anticipated this with her probing attack and unleashed a charged shot as he lowered his hand. The charged orb of pure hard-light barreled towards the Chozo Warrior who, with a surprising display of agility, cartwheeled forward and deflected the charged shot off the front of his staff (which was now lit in a golden aura), sending it hurtling back towards Samus. She quickly barrel rolled out of the way.

As soon as Samus recovered, the Chozo Warrior aimed his staff forward and began to return fire. Samus rolled forward and recovered with her Kinesis active, absorbing the shots much like the Chozo did. Samus rolled forward once more and bounded upwards on her recovery in an attempt to close the distance between the two. The Warrior stepped backwards a bit and took a probing swing with his staff once she landed. Samus parried the potential blow with her cannon and went for a straight punch to his face, which was promptly dodged by an impressive display of agility and flexibility.

The Warrior kicked his leg upward, leaning back into his momentum, but Samus narrowly dodged that as well. She stepped forward and swung her heavy arm cannon downwards in a pummeling motion. The Chozo expertly sidestepped and swung his staff hard, aiming for her torso. Samus phased into her morph ball form and boosted backwards, breaking off the engagement temporarily. She immediately returned to her standing form.

The Chozo advanced on Samus's position and let loose a charged shot from his staff. Samus dodged the first volley but she quickly calculated that there wasn't enough time to initiate another roll and dodge the charged power shot. Acting on instinct (and a 'here goes nothing,' mentality), Samus raised her arm out and generated a barrier. The barrier absorbed the shot and had it dissipate into her arm, which consequently became overcharged. Samus manipulated the beam manifested in her and fired it back not as a charged shot, but as a rapid-fire volley of standard power shots. The Chozo expertly dodged, but Samus was quick to recover after her attack and fired her native power beam several times, striking the Chozo in the shoulder when he attempted to dodge again.

The Warrior visibly recoiled before erecting another field in front of him before advancing. This move reminded Samus of when the Omega Pirate in the Phazon Mines would attempt to absorb her attacks as he advanced. Samus slowly backed up with her cannon raised as the Warrior advanced. Samus decided to take the fight to him instead of using ranged tactics and charged into him. The Chozo grappled Samus's abdomen and manipulated her movements, to which she found herself receiving a hefty kick to the small of her back and face planting on the floor. Samus rolled her body to the side just in time to see the floor crack open on her previous spot where her head was when the staff came down upon it.

Before Samus could get up, the Chozo continued to advance and brought his staff down upon her downed form. Samus caught the staff in her hand and used it as leverage to bound up and wrap both of her legs around the Chozo Warrior's head. She then leaned backwards, passing between his legs, and making sure to use her momentum to force his body on his back. She then bounded away, panting a bit. The Warrior recovered almost immediately.

"I certainly hope..." Samus spoke in Chozo through panted breaths, "... that you're having as much fun as I am."

The Chozo aimed his staff outwards but Samus, with a quick-draw of her arm cannon, struck the Chozo's dominant hand holding the staff, forcing a pained and somewhat ghastly grunt from him as he dropped said weapon. Samus quickly capitalized on this and used her Kinesis to toss the object far away over her shoulder. The Warrior, seeing that he had no ranged weapon, instead got in his warrior's fighting stance, ready to battle with fist and foot.

Normally, Samus would have capitalized on the disadvantage, but this was no ordinary time in combat. Without hesitation, the Hunter unequipped her Varia suit, leaving her in her Zero Suit, before she took on her traditional fighting stance, arms and hands guarding her face, Grapple Beam still attached to her left forearm.

"Shall we?"

The two circled each other briefly before dashing forward and instigating brutal melee combat. Samus parried a roundhouse and counterattacked with a solid punch to the Chozo's face.

"Ha-HA!" Samus exclaimed, landing the punch that would easily break the glass on GF face visors. However, her smile dropped as quickly as it came, as the Chozo didn't even flinch as he righted his face forward. He attempted a lighting fast punch straight to her abdomen, which Samus easily dodged by diverting his arm, but the Warrior had other plans, sweeping his leg and taking Samus right off of her feet and having her land on her back _hard._

Samus caught what would have been a brutal stomp to her chest and planted her foot hard in the aggressor's crotch, forcing him away with a pained expression. She flipped back up on her feet and charged forward, landing basic target combinations that she was taught during battle training all those years ago. However, she hyper-extended her right arm in a cross, failing to recover properly, to which the Warrior enjoyed the spoils of a counterattack. He caught her arm by the elbow, drove a knee into her upper abdomen (knocking the wind out of her and forcing a cry out of the Hunter), and clocked her with a reverse right in the jaw. Samus was forced off her feet by the blow and landed on her front, panting and lightly writhing in pain.

She coughed twice and looked back on the slowly advancing Warrior. She grinned and spat some blood on the ground before standing up strong once more.

The Chozo had an expression on his face that Samus wordlessly interpreted as "Had enough?"

"Not a chance, Warrior. This is the most fun I've had in a _long_ time," she replied before charging back with an audible 'war cry.' She attempted a high attack, which was blocked as suspected, before dropping down and using enormous force to initiate a full 360 degree sweep. The Warrior jumped over her leg and brought his own down in an axe kick which would have collided with her shoulder, were it not for Samus's instant dodge to the right. Her blue eyes shown with righteous fury as she counter-attacked, decking him in the side of the face with a right hook. Samus swore she heard something crack.

Samus was also able to grab ahold on one of his arms as he backed away in pain, dragging him back and meeting her forehead with the bridge of his beak, forcing him off his feet and hitting the ground hard. That hard hit surely stunned him somewhat and caused enormous pain, as the strike even hurt Samus a bit. Quickly, noticing he was about to recover, Samus swept his recovering leg (forcing him down hard again), and planted her fist forcefully in his abdomen, cracking some of the composite armor and eliciting some sort of a cry, holding his stomach as he doubled over to the left. Samus placed her foot on the base of the Warriors neck, looking straight into the one eye that could see her.

"Yield," Samus spoke in her caretaker's tongue. After tense moments and a stare-down, the Chozo slowly extended his arm upward and outstretched his hand. A sign of truce. Samus accepted it with her own hand and helped the Warrior back on his feet, backing away from him a bit to give him some space. The two stared each other down for who knew how long, the tension slowly dissipating in the air. The Chozo then placed his hand on his stomach and bowed respectfully, much like Samus had been accustomed to with the Luminoth. As he bowed, bright energy began to light up and flow out of him, pooling in between the two former belligerents. The magic phased together and exploded outwards, revealing a long, floating object that rotated on itself in the inside. It looked _exactly_ like a Charge Combination.

"It's yours. Let the power of the Night guide you to salvation," the Warrior finally replied in an 'echoed' voice, if that made any sense. That was the only way Samus could think of the raspy voice. The Warrior began to slowly lose its color and fade back into the spectral entity it once was.

"Will I see you again?" Samus asked back, using 'you' to refer to the Chozo as a whole.

The spectral transformation was complete and Samus could make out what she thought was a small smile on the Chozo's beak.

"In... time..." he replied slowly, phasing out of the mortal realm. Samus stared at the spot where her worthy adversary once stood. Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the doors unlocking and remembered that a weapon was floating in front of her.

Wiping her mouth and chin of residual blood, she equipped her Varia Suit and strode towards the power-up, grasping it in her left hand and letting it diffuse into her. Like she suspected would happen, it headed straight for her arm cannon and auto-equipped her Night Beam. The beam charged itself, the first time Samus ever charged the beam, and it looked like a Spiral Galaxy at the end of her Arm Cannon. Soon, a very hefty portion of her missiles combined itself with the charged weapon and fired off almost vertically towards the nearly half a mile high ceiling with an enormous roar. The missiles reacted completely with the Night Particles and split into six bright-white projectiles, which launched downwards and slammed into the wall containing the exit door at high velocity one at a time. The projectiles hit so hard Samus thought the Hall would collapse on her.

After the debris and dust cleared, There was an enormous gaping hole where the door stood. There wasn't anything left of a door, just six large craters in and around the former archway. The destruction was uncanny. The weapon had fully assimilated itself.

_I... What did I just unleash?_

**[Asteroid Bombardment Acquired!]**

**[The Asteroid Bombardment is the Night Beam's Charge Combo. This heavy weapon uses sixty missiles!]**

_What... the fuck?_

**[The Asteroid Bombardment, when called upon, combines with sixty missiles and launches high into the air before splitting apart into six large projectiles (combining the destructive power of the Night Beam plus ten missiles each) and slamming into a locked on target one after the other. Can be considered a limited artillery strike. Large missile consumption limits liberal usage of the weapon. Warning: DO NOT use in confined space!]**

_Well then..._

Samus lowered her cannon and switched it back to the Power Beam for now. She was less than half a mile's distance in total travel from _The Siege Front_ and she felt even more confident with this new weapon on her side. However, she was down sixty missiles already, leaving her with about 200. She could call upon three Asteroid Bombardments if at all necessary, and a couple of super missiles after that.

As Samus walked out of the now gaping exit, she silently hoped that whatever waited for her there wouldn't be too terrible to deal with, as she didn't want to exhaust her new weapon just yet.

_And come on, let's face it... my experience dictates that there's always something waiting for me. Never. Fails._

Samus lost herself in her own determination to see what laid ahead of her at _The Siege Front,_ eager to claim whatever power it held for her rearmament.


	9. Foreboding

_**Metroid: Equis**_

**Chapter 8.5**

**Foreboding**

The cold silence of space... only punctuates the feeling of singularity and void. Trillions of stars, billions of galaxies, yet still so much empty space... empty. Silent. Yet this silence and emptiness was purged when an enormous slip-space rupture revealed an gargantuan ship, followed by eight more large ruptures in space-time, which were in turn followed by dozens of minuscule ruptures. The modest fleet of warships slowed their speed to cruising, ensuring strict formation of capital ships and patrolling fighters.

The small spacecraft were garden-variety and comprised of the standard makeup of fighters, fighter-bombers, interceptors, and bombers, all running their normal patrols around their host ships. Their bluish hued, almost tadpole-esque hulls of the fighters cruised lazily in their premeditated patterns along with their slightly more attractive looking counter-classes. The larger ships were of Frigate classes, or at least six of them were. Of those six, four were Conqueror-class Frigates and the remaining two were both research and battle Frigates. The two remaining other ships were transport vessels. Unlike their much smaller fighters, these ships took on a more elegant look with more angled hulls... they looked ready to decimate anything in their paths. Their formation evenly surrounded the first ship, although there was a gap on the larger ship's side where another Frigate was undoubtedly supposed to be positioned. If one was to stumble across the fleet's registry, one would find the missing Frigate to be under the name of _Orpheon._ However, it's brethren, the _Siriacus_ and the _Vol Paragom_ were present on opposite sides of the central capital ship.

The largest of the capital ships, undoubtedly the flagship, was a Mothership-class cruiser. It had a definitive red hue to it... and it was unmistakable to certain individuals who would lay eyes on it. The fall of Zebes was not kind to the original bastion of Space Pirate might, as the Hunter took their base of operations and everything else with it in her escape. This ship, however, was freshly launched just days before the fall of Tallon IV. It arrived too late to relieve the Pirate force on the ground, or more importantly, retrieve the valuable experiments and other Phazon related data. However, when the newly commissioned fleet finally arrived at Tallon IV, not all appeared to be lost.

Pirate commanders did not expect to find the intact remains (although the word 'intact' would be used very loosely) of the Commander of Space Pirate Security Forces. With the help of several ships, their advanced technology, and a bit of specifically targeted cloning and printing, the second resurrection was complete. The fruits of that project sat in his lair within the Mothership, gawking at space as it passed by. However, even his enormous size couldn't even begin to put a dent in the space of this particular Mothership cruiser, as it was built nearly one and a half times as large. Nevertheless, he sat with his legs folded and weight on his haunches... his enormous organic and metallic wingspan pressed lazily against his back.

Ridley was alive. Pride and body marred by enormous lacerations (the latter of which was replaced by more augmentations of metal and composite material), yet very much alive. His bright orange eyes scanned space, as if expecting to see the intended destination.

Soon, however, a door rather far away to the rear had its shield deactivated and it opened, revealing a Pirate Admiral, dressed in full Pirate Naval attire. He stopped to give a salute and bow. Ridley barely acknowledged him until he spoke:

"Lord Ridley, please pardon my intrusion..." the Admiral spoke with slightly (but unusually) higher pitch than normal Pirates. He was obviously younger. Ridley barely even craned his long neck and head towards him. He responded with his iconic screeches, squawks, and grunts... but of course translators had been created for a reason.

"What is it, Admiral?"

"Our scouting parties have reported back from the suspected planets of the strike. All were negative, save for one."

Ridley remained silent. The Admiral took this as a cue to continue.

"One of our scout teams on a planet designated as _VK109H_ by Federation directories. Decryptions reveal it's colloquial name as _Equis._ They landed in a lush forest but were subsequently wiped out."

"Why do you waste my time with these sickening reports of our scouts being destroyed?! I have little patience for their bumbling around and getting disposed of by the fauna like the weaklings they are!" Ridley roared. The Admiral kept his composure on the outside.

On the outside...

"That's just it, My Lord. The last transmission that we received, seconds before all communications went dark, was 'The Hunter is here!'"

Ridley said nothing for tens of seconds, but to the Admiral, it felt like hours. He could also make out a low growl of indignation from the Shipmaster himself. Meta-Ridley then let loose one giant roar of determination.

"Set course for Equis. If the Hunter is there, the Phazon meteor will certainly be there as well," he ordered.

"My Lord, please forgive me but does that necessarily mean that the meteor has-"

"A former shipmaster once made the mistake of questioning my judgement and orders, Admiral. What I am _certain_of is that you _certainly_ will not make the same _mistake,_" Ridley interjected and added the last word with a venom.

"Indeed not, Lord Ridley. Course will be set for Equis. All fighters and bombers are ready to launch in minutes notice and ground troops are ready to deploy planet-side when we arrive. Calculating the projected time before-hand revealed approximately five-day's travel unto our destination."

"Very well. See to it. Dismissed."

The Admiral didn't reply, but merely bowed and saluted once more before he strode off, the door closing and sealing behind him with a green glow.

The Metallic Dragon himself turned back towards the empty void of space, looking straight ahead as the ships all kept formation and changed course, entering slipspace once more with many things on his mind.

A score to settle was one of them.


	10. Starfall Fortress II: Secret Dreams

_**Metroid: Equis**_

**Chapter 9**

**Starfall Fortress (Part II: Secret Dreams)**

What started as isolated quarantine became a full-blown epidemic. Manehattan, Baltimare, and many others were slowly falling victim to the virulent plague of Phazon. The case was particularly bad in the city of Sarajneighvo, the capital city of the Equestrian Province of _Bosnia and Horsegovina_. Once a great cultural hub and vibrant city on par with Manehattan, was in 3/4ths ruins. What started as a simple quarantine of the new _Phazon Hospitals_ became a mandatory evacuation of the city. Loved ones were being torn away from others who were infected. Many already died from Phazon exposure, but others weren't so lucky.

Pegasi had enormous wing growths, deforming their appendages and rendering them useless as they died an agonizingly painful death. Unicorns too often had their horns lined with Phazon until the sheer pain and mutagen overload caused their magic casting to go rogue, or backfire on them with gruesome results. Those who did not become belligerent and attempt to attack others began to slowly destroy themselves. Their bodies attempted to expel the vile substance at all costs, their vomit lined with the material which only served to spread more and more. Reports of Phazon addiction among those who survived with minor to no mutations were on the rise, and those who were deemed 'cleared' to leave quarantine despite unfortunate exposure were ultimately driven to withdrawals.

A large exodus of Pegasi from major cities resulted, all fleeing to the great cloud cities in the sky. Unable to control this, the Princesses ordered strict checkpoints lining the great cities of Cloudsdale, the Cumulus Metropolis (consisting of Cumulonimbus and Fort Stratocumulus, and Altocumulus), as well as the highest city in all of Equestria, Cirrostratus. Nopony was permitted entrance even if there was a _slight_ ambiguity as to a certain pony's Phazon exposure. In the end, the Pegasi believed they were safe in the sky... ultimately Unicorns and Earth Ponies did as well. Many attempted to take advantage of cloud-walking spells in order to gain temporary residence. This quickly caused a lot of infighting and many ponies were arrested for starting large brawls.

All of this was outlined in the report that was personally hoofed to Princess Celestia when she asked for not only a status report of where Equestria stood since the Impact, but some other confidential information as well. Namely, the reports of Phazon-related poisonings and deaths that had allegedly come from Cloudsdale.

It was bright and early in the morning and Celestia was already at work on her throne, although with a more somber expression on her face. The report from the Cloudsdale incidents had been handed to her and she was reading every little detail. According to these investigative reports, somepony was indeed physically spreading Phazon. They were more of isolated incidents and hadn't reached an epidemic status yet, but that was thanks to the ponies seeking medical attention and quarantine at the slightest sign of illness, even if it was something simple as a cold or allergy symptoms. Celestia wouldn't count on things to continue that slowly, and if Cloudsdale was completely overrun by Phazon, one of Equestrias largest weather-manufacturing plants would be in dire straits, possibly spreading contaminated rainwater all over Equestria.

Potential leads pointed to a known Pegasus religious cult that had slipped from view for decades. Many alleged members had proclaimed that this new material... this Phazon, was a tool in advancing the Pony race beyond the others that inhabited the world; a next, artificial step in evolution, rather. These were only questionably credible statements, and whether these leads were correct remained to be seen. Nevertheless, this was all police and units from the Equestrian Intelligence Force could gather.

Celestia called an emergency meeting with military commanders after reading the report. Soon, the four officers, including Shining Armor, were sitting at a table in the throne room.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, gentlecolts," Celestia humbly greeted.

"Of course, Your Highness. But if we may get down to business..." Shining armor respectfully urged. Celestia nodded.

"Indeed. The only lead we've been able to uncover on such short notice is the possibility of proliferation by a Pegasus religious cult... by the name of _Wings of Glory_" she began to brief. There were already incredulous looks on the officer's faces.

"With all due respect, Princess, this cult hasn't been involved with any notable crime in the last forty years," Colonel Mystic Shimmer spoke up.

"I'm well aware of that, Colonel, but this is the only lead we have... and as of right now, we can't afford to _not_ take any leads. So, what are our options based on what we have in front of us?" Celestia inquired. The four all glanced at their copies of the investigative report.

"Do we have the Hunter to assist us?" Shining Armor asked.

"Immediately, no. She will be available very soon, however," Celestia replied.

"Well..." one of two officers from the EIF, Field Director Contrail, spoke, "one thing we will definitely need is an indicator of some sorts... an indicator that this proliferation has reached critical level without necessarily more and more ponies becoming afflicted withing Cloudsdale. I recommend we station someone we can trust by the weather factory. It is highly likely that one can do the most damage if Phazon gets into water supplies and spread via clouds all across Equestria. If we can detect odd changes in weather schedules, we can not only prevent disaster, but also 'reverse' the plot, for lack of better words, and take the new lead from there. All the while, we'd be investigating the Cloudsdale 'underground' with undercover agents to start out with," he suggested. The other officers seemed to indulge the option for now. Facing no resistance (on part to the others really having no idea), Celestia felt that this task would be best left in the hands of an Intelligence officer.

"Very well, that sounds sound for now. As for who would watch the factory, I feel the Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash, would be most suited to the job. Her record as a weather-pegasus is sterling and if anypony could tell odd schedules and weather patterns, my confidence lies with her," Celestia suggested, nominated the prismatic-colored mare.

"Very well, your highness. Ensure she will volunteer for the position and once that's settled, we'll take it from here," Contrail affirmed. The other Intelligence officer reinforced that affirmation. Celestia nodded.

"Shining Armor, Shimmer, please provide any resources the Intelligence Force may need from you. I expect full cooperation if the need arises. Gentlecolts," Celestia faced the two Intelligence members, "you have access to whatever you may need. Time is of the essence, and ponies are dying every day at an increasing rate. I needn't repeat what we have at stake here. Let's get it done," Celestia finished and thanked the leaders for their time. She decided to not wake up Luna and instead move to her study to examine more paperwork.

The second Intelligence officer was sure to leave the door opposite of Celestia's path as well as break off from Contrail's destination for a purported meal break. When nopony was in sight, green-aura magic enveloped his form, revealing a jet-black figure with teal blue bug-eyes in his place, holes lining his body randomly. 'He' vanished in a teleportation spell as quickly as his form was revealed.

* * *

_She just stood there. Stood there as she fired in place at the designated targets. In the end it proved less than fruitful... one of the darker days of her training. It was a miracle that Old Bird and Gray Voice hadn't lost faith in her already._

_._

_._

_"Listen, despite the prosperity of the Milky Way Galactic Federation, violence and calamity continue to run rampant. You know that better than anyone. You can't be second or third place. Do you understand...?! If you are one of us, you are also a 'Protector of the Galaxy.' I wish for you to quickly become a soldier and carry out your 'duty.'" Gray Voice said to her. To Samus, it always seemed like he hated her... using her merely to the Chozo's own means._

_That idea came to fruition when she returned to Zebes after it was attacked by Space Pirates, the latter capturing the remaining Chozo elders and finding Gray Voice as the purported military commander of the Pirates, Mother Brain at the center of it all._

_._

_._

_He had betrayed the Chozo... betrayed her family._

_The scenery changed abruptly. Samus happened to lay eyes on Ridley for the first time since he wiped out K-2L. As he appeared right next to Gray Voice and Mother Brain, Samus had an enormous mental breakdown. Her PTSD from the incident was taking her in full._

_"Hmmm... I've seen her before..." Ridley thought out loud._

_"... That might be so. She's the only survivor of K-2L which you attacked. She's been under our care," Gray Voice commented._

_"Hmm."_

_Ridley reached out and grabbed Samus's face, his entire hand covering her head and his claws digging into her._

_"Oh... THAT brat, huh!" Ridley remarked, bringing Samus closer to him as she struggled for breath in his grip._

_"You know Samus, Ridley!?" Gray asked._

_"It was a TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE!" Ridley continued. "Thanks to YOU," Ridley brought Samus's obstructed face (save for her mouth and now nose) to his eyes, "the afloraltite exploded and I was also engulfed in flames! Can you even possibly fathom how I managed to survive?!"_

_"Ugh... Ah..!" Samus was in to position to put up any fight. After her panic attack, her Power Suit disengaged itself. Gray Voice and Mother Brain only looked on._

_"I shall tell you what I had to feed my injured body," Ridley continued staring at his helpless prey in front of him. "FLESH! I somehow survived by consuming the bodies of your kind, tossed every which way!" His voice lowered in disdain towards the struggling, terrified Human/Chozo hybrid._

_"Foul... Foul ...Human ...FLESH!" Ridley then tossed her into the ground. Samus got onto her hands and knees and attempted to catch her breath. All that was still going through her head was watching the Pirates and Ridley rip the others apart... watching her mother get sliced in half. She eventually resolved to bury her face in her hands as the memories long repressed flooded back into her psyche in hordes._

_"Hmph. Humans are always weak to the death of their own kind," Ridley continued reproachfully. "You don't know... maybe I even ate your 'Mama' so that my cells could live, hm?" the Black Space Dragon looked back on her before motioning to his draconic body. "Is she HERE?" he pointed to his shoulder. "Or HERE?" he pointed to his side._

_"AT LEAST PAY YOUR RESPECTS!" Ridley yelled as he struck Samus hard._

_The scenery shifted once more._

_Samus found herself in the care of the other Chozo Elders. Comrades that she had ventured to Zebes with had found a way to relieve Samus and the remaining prisoners after Ridley and Gray Voice left to organize their forces against the advancing Federation._

_Moment's earlier, she was screaming bloody murder(literally):_

_"THEY'LL RIP US APART! WE CAN'T FIGHT THEM! EVERYONE'S DEAD! KILL ME NOW!"_

_"Mama-... Papa! No! I'm scared... N-NO MORE! KILL ME! KILL ME!"_

_Her allies had attempted to get her back in her right mind, but to no avail._

_Her psyche was still replaying all the horrors of that day on K-2L... so many memories long forgotten and repressed coming back full force. She had gotten so bad she begged her comrades to kill her... over and over again she pleaded with them to end her life._

_"Samus..." the elder, Platinum Chest, spoke... somehow garnering Samus's attention._

_"Our dear... most precious child. Our treasure... Samus..." he spoke softly. "You're frightened... you poor thing. You must be anxious... it's understandable. Since you were a child, we caused you to bear that fate and imposed upon you a great mission. You truly and earnestly paid us back... you must be so tired, child."_

_Samus visibly calmed slightly._

_"Do not fret, Child." Platinum Chest continued as Samus knelt in the middle of all the Chozo, the former placing his hand on her forehead; her eyes bearing a 1000-yard stare. "Clear your thoughts. If you are pained, then cry. Release it from your heart. There is no need to worry, and no need to hold it in... because we are your family..."_

_Heavy tears welled up in Samus's eyes... tears which should have been shed over a decade ago._

_"You have always done well, Samus..."_

_What started as a small whimper slowly turned into an agonized wail of sorrow as Samus cried her eyes out the hardest she ever had in her life... shedding all those repressed tears with her adopted, but true family... a cry that reverberated all throughout Zebes._

* * *

Samus awoke, sans Varia Suit, and groggily came to the world from her troubled dream-state. She yawned and rubbed her eyes... finding heavy tear stains. She then frowned in irritation.

"Goddamn these dreams..."

Samus had decided to stop for the night in one of the darkest areas she could find in the Fortress, yet still on the path to her destination. She fell asleep relatively easily but vividly remembered the dream sequence she had, remembering everything she had seen in her sleep. Those were some of the darker times in her life... although they helped forge her into what she was today.

Samus stayed in her sitting position, kneeling against the corner for a moment longer to reflect on things. Equestria was a nice change of scenery, but for some reason, it was bringing up the worst of her memories. She had woken up earlier in the night after having the same dream with her mother. Something was bringing out these memories as dreams and she didn't like it. Samus had more than come to terms with her past since the incident on Zebes with Platinum Chest but that didn't mean she liked being exposed to them often...

Especially concerning Gray Voice. She had later found out that Gray Voice was deceiving Mother Brain and the Pirates all along and eventually betrayed them, attempting to destroy the former. Samus could remember _feeling_ him suffer as he fought with Ridley, coming back to assist Mother Brain. Ultimately, this, along with new information, lead Samus completely out of her PTSD attack and back to her warrior-like self, surprising even her allies at the complete 180. She would have been too late to save Gray Voice, as he told her via an emotional link to 'move on.' This new 'information,' turned out to be that _his_ genes were used when infusing her with Chozo DNA. Gray Voice was, essentially, her father of over a decade.

And she never forgot that... and referred to him as 'Father' after his ultimate demise at the hands of Ridley. He would make himself known once in a while to aid her, especially during her Zero mission where he guided her to the Varia Suit.

Shaking those thoughts for reflection for later, Samus stood up and equipped her suit, starting off once more.

With a bit of patience, Samus eventually found her way to what this Siege Front was: a gargantuan wall that curved itself in a concave fashion, facing outward. Samus was briefly awe-stricken at the complexity. This structure of steel and stone was at least two hundred feet high, overlooking the endless expanse of the Everfree. However, a large section right in front had been demolished by what Samus could only infer was constant warfare. Whatever magic scorched the earth below prevented the brush from growing back, even from thousands of years in the past.

_Now THAT'S impressive._

Samus also concluded that this Front was the first line of defense, if the forty Particle Cannons lining the ridge were anything to go by. Samus slowly walked up the east side of the line, examining the wear and tear of the structural integrity as well as the heavy guns that were lost to time. Many had broken barrels. Others were simply corroded and looked wilted over the ridge-line. However (and Samus had to do a double-take as she walked past), she noticed the rusted remains of one of the Particle Cannons was relatively intact, compared to what she had seen of course. She looked down (not having to kneel, as the gun's size easily meant it had to be operated by at least two individuals), and examined its build, taking into account the very fine detail that was still able to be seen through all the rust and corrosion to time.

_I wonder..._

Samus was no stranger to fixed, heavy weaponry. She had been trained in many weapon's groups when she was formally a soldier under the Federation. Heavy Artillery was no strange matter to her. However, artillery that was thousands of years old and not using conventional directed energy or shell-based mechanics was a bit 'iffy' for her. Nevertheless, the coast being clear and her curiosity needing to be satiated at this particular instant, Samus moved around the gun to check all the components. There was no bore evacuator, nor a muzzle brake, but had what appeared to be a rather crude hydraulic recoil mechanism on the top. Samus moved to the rear of the barrel and found a large handle that looked like it was about to fall off. However, carefully testing the waters, Samus was able to pull it and reveal the rusted breech of the cannon.

It was about that time when Samus realized that there was no ammunition to load this gun with. This was confirmed when she looked around, spying cylindrical cartridges that had littered the floor right behind the ridge wall. However, something caught the Hunter's eye: there was a hatch leading into the wall itself by the gun that was ever-so-slightly opened. Kneeling down and opening it all the way (and having to use both her hand and arm cannon for extra leverage), she exposed a completely intact ammunition rack that was lost to the world. The magical shells were completely untouched, as they still held their metallic luster. Samus reached in and pulled out one of the heavy charges. Her stoic expression soon became a small smirk as she found that the glass at the center of the enormous 'vial' shown a luminous blue. It was an active shell.

With a new 'pep in her step,' Samus carefully loaded the magic shell into the breech and firmly closed it off by pushing the release forward. The cannon was armed now. She was getting more anxious by the minute. After a quick search, she was able to find an adjustment 'dial' and the firing mechanism. Satisfied where the cannon was aimed (and ensuring from her maps that no Equestrians were in its path), she was ready to fire.

_In three..._

_two..._

_one..._

_Fire for effect!_

Samus truly wasn't prepared for what happened. The entire wall shook as the cannon went off in a luminous display of pure magic, enough where she had to shield her visor for a split second with her cannon. The roar of the gun was comparable to the 'bang' a charged plasma-beam held when it fired, only amplified about 50 times. The directed hard-magic was already well out of sight by the time she was able to get a view of her handiwork.

She giggled a bit.

_Now THAT'S a cannon!_

Samus was about to continue her search of the area but that was cut short... as the wall continued to rumble. She cocked her head in confusion until she realized that the seismic activity was coming from...

_Under the wall?_

Samus peeked over the edge and there was a large, gaping hole in the wall that had most likely been demolished from the outside. It almost looked like a cave... then it all clicked in the blue-eyed Hunter's head. Her eyes widened under her green visor.

_Oh shit..._

To save potential collapsing of the ancient siege wall (and as a result, getting stuck under thousands of tons of stone and steel), she leaped off the ridge, somersaulted repeatedly and landed about 100 feet from the hole in the great wall. She trained her cannon at the entrance and waited... prepared for anything. The seismic activity continued, having a pattern like something large was moving. These movements soon became distinguishable as footsteps... and slowly a large figure made its presence known from the cave. Three bright emerald eyes shown first, followed by the towering neck of a dragon.

The beast roared aggressively as it exited the cave in entirety... its navy blue scales reflecting off the early morning sun. It soon reared its neck back and roared once more, eyeing the armor-clad Hunter. This dragon was easily the size of Quadraxis, by her estimates at least. Looking up at the towering dragon, Samus only gently nodded and aimed her cannon, prepared for battle.

She started stepping backwards as the monster advanced slowly on her, each footstep shaking the earth gently. She opted to scan this thing, but already had a pretty good idea of what it was:

**"Recorded to Logbook.**

**[Morphology: Night Dragon]**

**[Ancient warrior of the late Dragon Hordes. Although they had no wings, Night Dragons were the most formidable opponents faced by the Equines during the Great War and few remain to this day, easily able to take the punishment dished out by the combined Equine/Chozo weapons. Scales/natural plating harder than ionized steel will easily deflect the heaviest of projectiles outside of a Federation Bombing run. Magical properties of the Night Dragon are what give it enormous resilience. The Dragon will attempt to physically maul its opponent, as well as make use of their fire-breath, which reaches heats hot enough to melt most metals instantly. A genetic defect has left the scaling around the relatively small head considerably weaker than the rest of the body, use this to your advantage.]**

The two continued tracing large circles around each other... and Samus knew it would be mere seconds before the dragon would strike. Thinking, she figured that the head/face was ultimately weaker than the body, like her scanners said, and with those three eyes... it reminded her of when she fought Kraid! A similar approach could be useful, she deduced.

Samus started firing her power beam as a probing strike, and like she expected, her shots easily deflected off the face and neck plating. The dragon growled and licked two sharp scales that almost went into it's mouth... it looked much like a helmet from Samus's perspective. It then lashed it's long neck out at her, which Samus dodged to the side. The dragon had struck so hard that it embedded its face partially into the ground. Samus capitalized on this and fired a single missile at the middle, open eye. The eye was completely obliterated by the concussive blast, dark crimson blood spewing out from the enormous socket as the Dragon freed himself at the same time, roaring in pain.

Deciding physical attacks weren't its strong suit at the time, the Night Dragon breathed a blue-hued fire, though not to be confused with a weak flame of course. Samus rolled out of the way but the flames kept trailing her, forcing her to literally run away. Finally the flame-thrower of which was the Dragon's mouth ceased to spew fire, leaving large but dying flames in its wake. Samus was close enough and they were so hot, her visor was giving her 'Heat Level Critical' warnings.

Samus took note of the bleeding orifice occupying the middle of the Dragon's head and decided to aim for its right eye. Samus launched a charged power-beam shot but it only served to aggravate the beast. The quadrupedal dragon then charged Samus at an alarming speed. She was forced to enter morph-ball mode and boost under the belly of the dragon. On her way, she laid three bombs which exploded one after the other. It caused him some pain, if the angered roars and growls were anything to go by but Samus could clearly see that it wasn't anything crippling. It wasn't really a tactic to pursue, as if one of the Night Dragon's feet landed on her in morph ball form, it was all over.

Samus reverted to her standing form and switched to her Night Beam, aiming back at the dragon who was still turning its body in full.

"Alright you bastard... is that all you've got!?" Samus yelled out, out of character for her but she felt energized today for some reason. She let loose a barrage of Night beam rounds, which definitely had a better effect on the dragon as it retreated a little when Samus struck its face. Deciding to charge the shot, a spiral galaxy forming at the end of her arm cannon once more, she fired and the beam-round collided hard with the Dragon's open mouth as it roared. That had to have done some damage as it's roars soon became pained and desperate. It looked like it vomited some blood before it trained its eyes back on Samus, clearly enraged.

_So it is like fighting Kraid! Gotta get him to open his mouth..._

Samus made mental notes and created a tentative plan of action. She locked on to the dragon's right eye and fired a missile. The dragon repositioned his head and the missile exploded fruitlessly on its cheek armor.

"Damn!"

Samus had advanced while she shot at his eye, but she didn't account for the dragon moving forward suddenly. The Hunter was once again forced into her morph ball as she boosted under the Night Dragon... although things went a bit differently. Right when Samus reverted to her standing form, her stomach was greeted by a hard swipe by the Dragon's tail. She was flung into the Siege wall with fair force, leaving tiny cracks within the resilient structure. Ensuring no fatal damage to her shielding or suit in general, Samus got back on her feet and advanced once more. That's when she decided to experiment with her Chozo-gifted weapon.

Charging her Night Beam, and avoiding another strike by the Night Dragon, she exhausted 60 missiles as the Asteroid Bombardment shot high into the air. Locked onto its head, Samus retreated to see what would happen. The dragon advanced farther and soon the first projectile slammed into its cheek, forcing its neck to contort to the side by the sheer force of the impact. It roared out with great sound but was snuffed out as the second round smashed into his open mouth, forcing him to double back and vomit more blood... which was subsequently interrupted when the third projectile struck his upper neck with the combined power of two Super Missiles. Soon, all of the rounds impacted on or around the dragon's head, and when it finally got its bearings (Samus didn't expect the battle to be_that_ easy), it was missing a second eye. As well, much of its armor on its face and neck had been cracked.

Samus fired one more missile to try and follow it up, and the missile found its target on the dragon's remaining eye. The missile didn't destroy it, but it struck it hard. Samus was ready to follow up with another Night Charge but to her dismay, the dragon only growled in pain instead of roaring out. This took her by surprise.

_It learned...!_

She fired two more missiles plus another charged Night shot at the advancing dragon's face after avoiding another inferno spewed forth from its mouth. Again, it caused pain but the dragon refused to open its mouth, confirming Samus's thoughts. As a result, she knew that she needed something more powerful... enough to get the dragon to open its mouth. Her Asteroid Bombardment was a viable solution, but she could only call on two more, and last time she only landed one in its mouth. Judging by its state, the Night Dragon had a good amount of fight left in it, so thinking she could end this battle with 120 missiles was a bit far-fetched.

That's when Samus took note of the heavy Particle Cannons lining the Siege wall. That was almost becoming a necessary option, but those walls were 100 feet high... she'd need some _enormous_ velocity to get up there via boost ball...

_Or maybe I don't have to use boost ball..._

Samus decided to put into practice a little trick she hadn't used since her Zero Mission... but she'd need enough room to run. She dodged another strike from the dragon's tail by jumping over it and then led the behemoth away from the wall at an angle. She was waiting for the appropriate time after the dragon struck and that time was...

_Now!_

The Night Dragon reared back and lunged its face at her, jaws open wide. Samus rolled to the side once more and started sprinting towards the wall. Soon, her speed booster activated (and the dragon was not far behind her, unfortunately) and she abruptly stopped, but didn't deactivate the boost capability. Samus's entire suit coursed with potential energy as she made a small jump in the air and angled herself towards the wall. Activating the boost function once more, her body launched herself diagonally upward right as the dragon swiped with its tail in her former place. Samus rocketed upward and she deactivated it right as she flew over the ridge and not having to collide with the structure behind it.

The dragon could easily poke its head over and it slowly made its way to the wall. Samus found the canon she worked and quickly yanked a shell out of the ammo rack and loaded it. Aiming it just in time, she fired it off and the magic round struck the remaining eye hard... there was no more eye. The rest of the magic was somewhat deflected off the heavy plating but nevertheless, the dragon was completely blind. That didn't remedy the situation in total, as the Night Dragon was still able to turn its head in the exact position Samus was, no matter how she moved, leading her to conclude that these things had wonderful senses of hearing and smell.

Samus had to run a length of the wall as the Dragon let loose its inferno. She returned fire with two charged shots from her Night Beam, forcing the creature back just a tad, but enough for her to move. She had to get back to that one cannon that was still working. Samus began running the length back when the fires were dying out (and she could see leakages from melting metal trickling down from the wall behind her), firing charged Night rounds the entire way. Samus picked up another round and loaded it into the cannon, ejecting the spent magic cartridge.

She knew exactly what to do. She had to time the cannon fire right, along with her Charged Night Beam and Asteroid Bombardment and this battle would be over. She charged her beam and fired off the Bombardment, the missile combination soaring into the air once more. She immediately ran to the side of the cannon and went to aim it a the dragon's face, but she wasn't prepared to have to dodge the dragon's jaws once more. It's face clipped the cannon and forced the shot to fire off course. The Astroid Bombardment fell upon the Night Dragon with great force, crippling the majority of its facial armor and leaving it a profusely bleeding mess. The face was almost unrecognizable. A couple more mouth shots, or heavy rounds to the face should do it, but this time, no mistakes could be made.

Samus loaded the cannon once more while the Dragon was recoiling from the 'shock and awe' of the Asteroid Bombardment. She reiterated to herself that no mistakes could be made, as she only had enough missiles to call forth one more volley of her heavy weapon. After ten agonizing seconds, the cannon was ready to fire. She charged her Night Beam and fired off the last of her available missiles with her bombardment. Immediately, she aimed the cannon properly, the dragon beginning to advance once more, and firing. The sound displacement of the cannon echoed through her being as the round found its target in the Night Dragon's mandible. It hit it's jaws side so hard that the armor completely cracked and the bone as well as the skin under it was ruptured. The Dragon's jaw was now hanging off of its face. That stroke of luck was all Samus needed as she watched the first projectile collide with the dragon's nose. The force of the blast forced the dragon to recoil and the second round found its mark right in the dragon's throat. The third, fourth, and sixth in its mouth as well, for the fifth strike completely severed the dragon's jaw.

Samus watched with a sense of victory as the Night Dragon was spewing blood out of its mouth as its roars became higher pitched. Eventually all four legs collapsed, followed by the long neck as it finally died on the battleground. She opted to just stare at the lifeless corpse for several moments to revel in the tough battle. Had she failed in her final Asteroid Bombardment... well that would have made things even more difficult. Samus noticed that the fallen dragon's scales slowly lit up with a dark-blue hued magic which trickled out of the corpse and formed into something solid a few feet off the ground by its face. The magic came together and exploded outward, revealing Samus's runes symbol casually spinning with the wind. It's circular background was colored black.

Samus jumped off the wall once more and landed hunched before moving to investigate. Upon coming closer, she found that the black, circular background of this item was dotted with stars and galaxies... it looked really aesthetically pleasing, to say the least. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Samus reached out and 'grabbed' the object, which immediately diffused into her.

Samus felt herself slowly get lifted into the air a few feet, and forces beyond her knowledge compelled her to stretch her arms to her side and open her legs ever so slightly. She felt magical energy course through her body and modifications being made to her suit. The feeling was oddly relaxing, and she opted to rest her eyes for a few moments. Her form became brighter and brighter with blue-hued magic until it exploded outwards, lowering Samus down not as she was, aesthetically speaking. As her feet touched the ground, she noticed her armor was dark, navy blue (darker than the Gravity Suit) with a tinge of black. The yellow portions of her suit were replaced with a darker, more golden color. Her helmet had turned from red to navy blue and her pauldrons weren't large and round anymore, rather they were about the size of the former Light Suit's pauldrons and dodecahedral in shape. As a finishing touch, her visor turned from iconic green to violet.

**[Astral Suit Acquired!]**

**[The Astral Suit draws distinct connection to the Night Sky. The defensive shielding has been amplified 1.5 times and the suit provides enhanced alacrity. In addition, the Astral Suit will regenerate energy shielding and carry reinforced magical properties in Moonlight.]**

_Well then... I can live with that!_

Samus dismissed the notifications and checked herself out. She found the suit very pleasing to the eye as a few key components were changed in appearance, but overall, most of the physical aspects of her suit were largely the same. She definitely felt lighter though, and that was a bonus.

Satisfied with the outcome of the battle and her acquisition, Samus remotely called for her gunship, which touched down about twenty minutes later in the clearing. She then manned it once more and made haste to Ponyville, eager to plan out where she would head next.

And she was hungry for some real food.

_Been here a few days and I'm already getting spoiled._


	11. Ponyville: The Plan and The Offer

_**Metroid: Equis**_

**Chapter 10**

**Ponyville: The Plan and The Offer**

Samus had affirmed she was hungry, but one other feeling dominated hunger tenfold: Samus was tired. Oh by any divine entity that existed she was absolutely exhausted, but she had to take care of protocol that involved acquisitions of new suits. Plus it wasn't worth her time to try and catch much needed shuteye that she had been so deprived of since she left Aether while she was on the short trip to Ponyville.

Nevertheless, the flight back was comfortable for the lone occupant of the only gunship in Equestria, although most of her time was actually spent fiddling with her new suit and running its functions against her core Varia Suit to see what had actually changed, writing down notes in her personal logbook as a result. In the end of it all, Samus was more than satisfied with her findings and analysis. If one was to peer into her suit's logbook, they would find a plethora of information beyond their wildest imagination, solely based on the Hunter's observations. Of course, the first thing she made sure to do was ensure that all her core suit functions actually _worked_ before running them against the Varia Suit.

**[All Visor Functions: Combat, Scan, Thermal, X-Ray, Online]**

**[Morph-Ball Module: Fully Operational]**

**[Speed Booster: Online]**

**[Arm Cannon: All Sub-Systems Fully Operational]**

**[Space Jump Boosters: Online]**

**[Screw Attack Module: Online]**

**[Grapple Beam: Online]**

**[Kinesis Beam: Fully Operational]**

The list went on until the final confirmation of "All Systems Operational" was shown to her. Samus had also confirmed that her Suit indeed provided a generous defensive shielding boost (in no small part due to the shield generator being infused with magic when the suit was put on her). Another note she made was that now, her suit would be fully capable of assimilating magical equipment and components, which eliminated the need for an external charge (as Luna performed with her arm cannon) in order to keep current magic-based equipment that wasn't directly fused to her being, such as the Night Beam, running. In the end of it all, Samus was more than pleased with the results of the suit augmentation. She yawned once more.

_I'm friggin' exhausted._

The lush greenness of the forest soon began to wane and give way to a residential area as the Hunter Class Gunship comfortably cruised, systematically losing altitude out of the thick cloud-cover and descending into the square below, right in front of Twilight's Library. The roar of the engines died out and terrified ponies who hadn't witnessed the ship the first time around due to staying inside as a result of the rain, quickly gave it some space while some panicked. The partly cloudy day ensured that most of the town's residents gathered at a respectable distance around the large anomaly, unhindered by rainfall. Murmurs and hushed whispers amongst the candy-colored ponies communicated a sense of concern which quickly gave way to a collective gasp as metallic clanks resounded from the ship and the Hunter revealed herself at the top of the hatch. Samus turned to the crowd she gathered, her face obscured by her navy blue helmet and violet visor.

"Hi everypony," the feminine voice spoke from the obscurity of the helmet. Once the town's residents heard that, they immediately identified her as Samus, the alien and human-turned-human/Chozo hybrid, and the one at the forefront of the defense against the Phazon. They all immediately relaxed, some replying with a greeting of their own, before going about their business. Samus had to remember that she hadn't toured the town in her Varia Suit for this exact reason: not to cause panic. Now that she was uncontested by that thought, she jumped off her ship and gently entered Twilight's residence. She found all six of the Elements of Harmony fervently discussing important subject matter amongst themselves, but nevertheless, they perked up at Samus's entrance.

"Hiya Samus!" Pinkie Pie shouted, much to Samus's chagrin. She had too much energy for the Hunter right now.

"There you are! We were wondering when you'd return," Twilight spoke up, trotting up to the Hunter. "Nice new clothes, by the way," she added with a smile, admiring Samus's new suit.

"Indeed, darling! Even in battle you look absolutely stunning, my dear!" Rarity supported Twilights statement, walking circles around Samus and eyeing her new Astral Suit's every detail. The rest of the ponies walked up to her as well and extended their own greetings, especially Rainbow Dash who kept nagging her to take her flying in her ship.

"Oh come ON! Samuuuuuus you said we would," she whined while hovering in the air at Samus's eye-level. Samus had just unequipped her suit, save for her grapple beam, which she had been starting to keep on her at all times.

"No, Rainbow Dash. I never said we would, I said 'maybe.' There's no time for that," Samus replied flatly while the prismatic-maned pegasus pouted. "Twilight, what's happened while I was away?"

"Princess Celestia received a briefing as to the issues in Cloudsdale, which she _finally_ declassified in entirety to the six of us, and she wanted to pass it on to you," Twilight replied as she handed a scroll with a seal that said "Top Secret" with her magic. Samus took it and attempted to unravel it, but found that it wouldn't open, no matter how hard she pulled at the flimsy paper. Her patience was thinning extremely fast.

"Explain…?" Samus asked.

"Whoops! It's a magic seal keyed to your own aura. Give it a little juice and the seal will fall off," Twilight replied, forgetting to tell the Hunter about classification of royal documents. Samus looked back at the scroll and let her Kinesis fire up lightly, enveloping the scroll in her light blue aura. The seal cracked and dissolved, rendering the scroll readable.

_Okay that's pretty cool… I'll give them that. Need. Sleeeeeeep._

Everypony (plus one human) decided to get comfortable as Samus sat down in the armchair she always occupied and read the very detailed information brief… which she found ironic considering the name. The Elements watched quietly and patiently as Samus's eyes carefully scanned the paper from left to right, her slightly pale face showing little emotion from her blue eyes and neutral lip position. After a couple of minutes, the Hunter set the scroll aside and tiredly rubbed her eyes with her left thumb and index finger, squeezing the bridge of her nose in the process.

_"The poor girl, she's so tired…" _Twilight thought as she observed Samus's movements and body language. Eventually, Samus sat up straight and gave a small look to each of the six ponies in the room, who nodded in a friendly manner in return.

"Alright. I guess we're gonna have to go to Cloudsdale. Rainbow Dash, you've accepted this position in the Cloudsdale Weather Factory?" Samus confirmed.

"You betcha! The Princess called me up and I accepted in a heartbeat. Element of Loyalty, after all," Dashie affirmed in her usual overconfident manner. Samus nodded.

"Very well. For the rest of you, it appears that, as to avoid splitting up the Element bearers and to have you close by to both use various talents of yours and in the off chance that the Elements need to be used, you'll all be coming as well, I presume?" Samus asked, making sure that she was processing the information correctly.

"That's correct," Twilight answered for everypony. Samus nodded a few times and looked back to the scroll. The text stated that forward operations were to commence the next day during the evening. The scroll had also detailed that with their help and cooperation with the Equestrian Intelligence Agency, Celestia expected to be able to locate the source of the Phazon spreading and find out where it came from. The plan of attack, which would coincide with Samus's rearmament, was to essentially follow the Phazon's path that it trickled, eventually leading them to the core. Tentative? Easily, for things could easily go wrong and other random variables hadn't necessarily been accounted for. Solid? Fairly. Samus had little opposition, as she would finally be able to get into the dirty work.

"Looks good to me. We leave tomorrow then, yes?" Samus inquired softly.

"Yup! We're gonna stay here for the night an' leave fer Cloudsdale tomorrow," Applejack spoke up. Samus ran her hand through her hair and rubbed both her eyes with her knuckles. Samus was internally begging for some sleep.

"Alright, then I'll see you all later," Samus said with a yawn as she got up and walked to her room.

"Where're you going… if you don't mind me asking? And if you had time… I wanted to ask you a couple of ques…tions..." Fluttershy spoke up, getting ever more curious about the Hunter by the day; but her words trailed off as Samus stopped and turned around with one of the most tired but irritable expressions on her face. Fluttershy could have sworn she saw bags developing under her eyes and she sunk down and cowered a bit under her gaze.

"I got beaten the shit out of by a ghost, I've explored miles of Everfree and been assaulted by Pirate scouts who probably have called for reinforcements, explored mile after mile of antique fortress, and I just killed an ancient dragon that refused to die as much as Quadraxis." Samus then took on a softer, almost pleading tone, her back hunched a little bit. "Forgive me if I'm being short with you but I haven't slept fully since I arrived here… hell, even since I came from Planet Aether. I've been having nightmares waking me up for the time I've been here. Please, I _promise_ to help and I'll gladly answer any questions you may have but I've been running on fumes. I'm going the fuck to sleep. I'll see everypony later," Samus finally finished her micro-rant before disappearing into her room and closing the door. Alone in her room and with silence reigning, she let out a breath she had not known she was holding, and the only thing she spied was her large bed… which she had just named _Sanctuary Bed_.

_By the Creators and all Chozo Elders, please bless me for what I'm about to receive…_

She walked to the nicely sized bed, letting her hair down in the process, and let her body drop unaided into the cushy comfort. She was out like a light before her cheek even hit the pillow, her hair splaying out in random directions comically; the softest sound of deep breathing and the lightest snore resounding through the sound-proof room.

* * *

The Mane Six were left a little bit stunned at Samus's sudden outburst that seemed so uncharacteristic for the soft spoken human, so they felt it was best to give her space and let her rest up.

"Did… Did I say something wrong?" Fluttershy asked very meekly and shamefully. The others were quick to comfort her.

"Shucks, sugarcube, ya ain't said nothin' wrong. Samus is just mighty tired," Applejack said softly, patting her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder.

"Yeah, don't worry too much, Shy. I'm sure you all remember what happens when I forget to sleep…" Twilight reminded the others. Everypony shuddered internally.

"Mhmm! I can also be a grumpy-grumpy pants when I don't sleep…. Which is probably because I ate too much cake the day before," Pinkie mused. The others looked at her incredulously.

"Really Pinks? I never thought you slept to be honest. I was almost sure that you ate enough sugar to keep you going for years," Rainbow joked.

"When she crashes, she crashes _hard_," Twilight emphasized and everypony giggled.

"But cake is just soooo good!"

"What's a 'Quadraxis'?" Dash asked.

* * *

**[Day 3 in Equestria]**

**[Time: 23:41]**

If one was to plant a camera to show time lapse in Samus's room, one would expect to find her unconscious body fidgeting in her sleep and occasionally switching positions. However, that wouldn't be the case here, as Samus didn't move _once_ from where she collapsed, nearly fourteen hours earlier. A couple of murmurs and subtle moans came from the unconscious form of the young Hunter before her eyes fluttered and groggily opened.

Samus was surprised to find it pitch-black outside and the time being what it was. She hadn't remembered sleeping this long uninterrupted in a very long time. Sleeping for that long made her realize how much her muscles had been aching for proper rest since the Aether incident, as usually a random nightmare would wake her up or just her insomnia got the best of her.

She lifted her trunk up with her hands and stretched her back thoroughly before swinging her legs over the side of the bed and merely sitting, back straight. After rubbing the remnants of sleep out of her eyes and running her hands through her blonde hair to detangle and straighten it out a tad, she finally stood up and stretched fully for about five minutes, including a few acrobatic moves to loosen her body up.

Working up a light sweat, she was ready to figure things out now. She wasn't able to sleep anymore, so she might as well have been productive. She strode into the bathroom and washed her face a bit. She was thinking about showering but felt a bit lazy at the moment and decided to do that in the morning when she, plus the Elements, left for Cloudsdale. Samus grabbed her red band and tied her hair up in her usual ponytail, letting two locks of her golden hair fall, framing her face and creating the look that was common to see when the Hunter was suit-less. She stared at the reflection in the mirror for a few moments before holstering her pistol and retreating to her room once more. However, she almost stepped on something that she hadn't noticed in the darkness.

Samus hunched down and found a plate with three pieces of food on it, of what looked like some type of veggie sandwich cut into three triangles and some potato chips on the side as well as a glass of water. Under said glass was a note:

_Hi Samus, _

_I'm sorry if I made you mad earlier… you were really tired. I thought you would probably be hungry so I made you something for when you woke up… I hope you don't mind, that is. _

_Sweet dreams. You've earned it. _

_~Fluttershy_

Samus couldn't help but drop her stoic face into a kind smile, touched at the gesture. She made a mental note to thank her and apologize for her irritated outburst. Fluttershy was right though, Samus was starving… but she didn't want to stay cooped up in the room right now.

Gingerly opening the door that lead into the common room, Samus found all six of the ponies sleeping soundly in close proximity to one another. Now, Samus hadn't called anything 'adorable' or 'cute' in many, many years, but let's say that she had to put a hand over her mouth to stifle a giddy giggle at the sight of them.

Brushing the thought off, Samus employed the help of her Kinesis and levitated the plate of food and glass of water as she tip-toed with grace towards the front door. However, the glass of water was a bit heavier than expected and since Samus was new to the levitation spells, holding it for a prolonged period (only about twenty seconds, really) caused the glass to waver out of her aura and almost fall right on Rarity's face. Samus caught it in record time, cursing herself for clumsiness before slipping out the door, just opting to hold the plate with her left hand and clutch the glass to her bosom with the right, saving her any potential disaster.

Once outside and the door closed, Samus reprimanded herself for losing focus on the objects, yet reminded herself that she was probably the equivalent of a primary-school child in terms of magic. Gazing across the small square that lay in front of Twilight's library, she opted to sit at a bench in the nearby park. It was light enough due to Luna's moon, so Samus figured that she could enjoy a quiet dinner there.

She made her way to the bench and sat down, crossing her legs under her and digging into the delicately prepared food.

_Why does everything taste so much better here?!_

The sandwich was still fairly fresh, for she didn't know exactly when it was prepared. The chips were crunchy and the water was cool. It worked for her, though she wasn't sure if this would quench her appetite. Before Samus could dig into the second sandwich triangle, she heard a fluttering of wings and the sound of hooves landing delicately on the grass behind her.

"I did not expect to find _you_ out here," Princess Luna said delicately as she approached the seated Hunter. Samus turned her body, food still in her mouth, and gently waved to her.

"Hey Princess," Samus finally was able to say after gulping her food down.

"Don't _you_ start with the formalities now… and you were doing so well!" Luna joked, taking a seat next to Samus. "Did you find what you sought?" Luna asked.

"I did. I received a new and very powerful weapon as well as a new suit. Had to go through hell to get it but either way, it works beautifully," Samus responded in a more chipper manner than normal, most likely due to the sleep she restocked on.

"Most excellent. I'm sure it will aid us greatly in our fight against the Phazon," Luna spoke.

"And the Pirates."

"You know with certainty that they will arrive in force?" Luna asked. Samus nodded.

"Oh yes. You can bet on it. This, this whole situation…" Samus emphasized by waving her hand around. "… is going to get horrendously ugly before it gets better. I just hope you and Celestia are prepared to accept what is to come in the very near future."

"Prepared? Yes. As diarchs of Equestria, we must be prepared to embrace anything. Is it our will to accept the circumstances? No. Not in the slightest. I've seen the effects of this Phazon. I've been to the afflicted areas. It is…" Luna could not finish her sentence as the images of earlier today and the previous day flashed into her head. The mutilated and mutated bodies as well as the Phazon insanity were enough to cause mental scars on their own. As well, the threat of invasion wasn't taken too kindly in Luna's mind.

"I notified the Galactic Federation, and they're sending a fleet to the planet at my request and their best interest. Advanced medical technology which you can combine with your MedMagic, troops, supplies, and other logistics equipment are in tow. You're not fighting this alone, Luna. And you can bet I'm not leaving until this Phazon is eradicated," Samus spoke with conviction and reassurance. Luna, the toughest pony Samus had met so far, Lunar diarch of Equestria, seemed at her most vulnerable with everything compounding on her. She returned the Human's reassurance with a thankful grin of her own.

"When this is over, Samus, don't feel like you're being forced to leave…" Luna alluded.

"What do you mean?"

"I know you're a bounty hunter, and you go where you are called, especially with this Federation entity as your main employer, but you don't have to leave immediately if you don't want to," Luna clarified just a little.

"Wait, are you alluding to what I think you're alluding to?" Samus asked.

"I know enough about you from what you have told me and what I can gather from your dreams. You're a warrior, through and through, yet you have your heart in the right place. I know, even as a warrior for hire, you would refuse payment if it meant the preservation of the innocent. I actually know that because you have done that before. I can relate to you… on a different level. I was the warrior of the family, still am, even in times of peace, but I digress. Because I can relate on some level, I have the ability to know and make that particular judgment of you. Just know that as a result, Equestria's door is always open to you," Luna finished.

Samus let her words sink in. Essentially, Luna was allowing Samus to reside in Equestria and Equis if she so chose to.

"Why?" Samus asked, having never dealt with an extension of an odd sense of 'asylum.' Luna turned to her with an incredulous smirk.

"Is it not that simple? Simply because you're a powerful warrior with a good heart, which leads into the fact that I see you as a friend," Luna confirmed. Samus turned her gaze to the sky, allowing the Lunar Alicorn's words to sink in.

"You're not being pressured or coerced into making a decision like that. It is still very early, and you have only been here a few days. But I learned from warding off your nightmares that after the… incident on the Moon known as K2-L and eventually, leaving the Planet known as Zebes…" Luna gathered her breath and thought how to say the next words carefully. "… you lack a land to call home." Luna turned to Samus once more.

"I know this is sudden, but just know that you are always welcome here."

Samus, in truth, didn't know how to respond to that. Quickly running things over, she enjoyed the inhabitants of this planet and country, even though many could be rather quirky, the food was spectacular, and she could come and go as she pleased… it indeed sounded a lot like a home when put into retrospect. However, as much as the spontaneous side (however deeply it was buried) wanted to accept Luna's offer immediately, she couldn't do so in a clear conscience and mind, without accounting for other variables. Now was not the time to make that call. Samus opted to respond in a way that she deemed most appropriate for the situation, as well as to not betray all her emotions:

"I'll consider it."

"That is all I ask, Samus."

Conversation died for a couple of minutes as the two enjoyed the silence and the scenery. Samus finished her food, stomach satiated to an extent.

"You kept my nightmares away?" Samus asked.

"You are performing a great deed for our nation and planet. As of right now, I feel the least I could do to aid you is to let you get a decent night's sleep," Luna said with a tinge of sarcasm and a friendly grin, the moonlight reflecting off her teal-blue eyes and accentuating her ethereal mane.

"Thanks," Samus replied with a grateful tone and a small smile. Samus was starting to see Luna as a wonderful ally… maybe even as a friend; and she hadn't had many of those since her Federation Police days.

"Not a problem. But before I go…" Luna began to say as she stood up from the bench, "I crafted something that you may find useful."

Her horn glowed brightly and something materialized between the two of them after the magic that she casted exploded outward. Suspended a couple of feet in the air was a small ball of lavender energy.

"Have a good night, Hunter," Luna spoke cordially as she took flight and flew into the night, Samus quickly losing track of her in the night sky. Her interest was quickly drawn to the object in front of her.

Standing up and equipping her Astral Suit, she moved forward and grasped the item and allowed its magic to course through her body. It moved to her helmet and her visor lit up brightly, the violet almost turning white from its luminosity. It eventually died down when Samus decided to fiddle with the visor controls.

**[Aura Visor Acquired!]**

**[The Aura Visor taps into the magical dimension within Equis. Like the Thermal Visor is used to detect heat signatures and the X-Ray Visor is used to detect entities out of the visible spectrum of light, the Aura Visor allows detection of entities and magic which lay beyond the visible states of matter, illuminating the magic within the environment as well as individuals. Ideal for detecting magic potential (auras).]**

Testing the new visor out, the environment faded into black. It reminded Samus of how the Echo Visor would dim the surroundings black. Any object that held magic was shown to be illuminated with varying degrees of intensity as well as different colors. From this visor she was able to conclude that Equis in and of itself had a magic-rich environment, although Samus wasn't surprised.

With the help these ponies were willing to provide, as well as the smoothness that her rearmament was proceeding, Samus felt ready to tackle whatever lay in her path.

Although the little midnight snack was settling in her stomach and consequently, Samus started to feel a bit tired again. She felt that she could rest her eyes some more in preparation for Cloudsdale first thing in the morning.

The hunter unequipped her suit and silently strode back to the library, Luna's words weighing in on her mind, but with even more resolve to stop the Phazon and beat back the Pirates.

_One thing's for sure… neither the Phazon nor the Pirates shall lay claim to Equis. I'll ensure that. _


End file.
